


Nier: Returner

by KaZe0100



Category: NieR: Automata (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe, Amnesia, Cybernetics, Destruction, Even then who knows - Freeform, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Holy crap the music is so hard to time - Freeform, It all depends on how fast you read it., Magic, Martial Arts, Multi, Robosexual Protagonist, Swords, themes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-03-03 18:43:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 45
Words: 169,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13347240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaZe0100/pseuds/KaZe0100
Summary: This is a rewritten version of the original. Things are gonna be slower this time. I deleted the old one. Sorry.Anyway, a boy wakes up. No memory of who he is or was. Only remembering his name, Lars. Only a black jacket with a Sweden shield on the left shoulder, black track pants, and combat boots to remind him, of nothing. He will meet many people, except they aren't people.





	1. Awakening

**Author's Note:**

> These first two chapters were made by Coolguybest. He rewrote the chapters, making them better than they once were. I thank him for helping me out. And all the work goes to him.  
> This story is for those who have played the game, you have been warned.

He floated through unconsciousness, barely aware of anything around him. He felt nothing around him, and almost felt nothing from himself. A voice beckoned him, though he knew not whether it was from within or without.

“Wake up.”

That voice… it was not his own, he found. The words did not connect for him. It felt as though the words were isolated as he was from reality.

“Please, wake up.”

Desperation. Something was trying to stir him mentally. Now that he listened, the voice was both his and someone else’s. He could feel it build beneath his skin. It was to make one last attempt.

“Lars, Awaken!”

 

Lars drew breath as his eyes shot open, then slammed them shut as the light burned into his eyes. Even the pulse through his head caused him significant pain as he tried to push himself up and focus on his surroundings. The wind whistled around him as he saw first the cloudless sky, then the perimeter of ruined and partially collapsed buildings. Even on the one he stood on, large chunks had broken off and crumbled to the floor below, exposing the rebar it left behind.

Once more, pain coursed through his head. He brought his hands, up and applied pressure, hoping to ease the pain. What was that thought he just had? Lars… Lars… Was that his name? It had to be. Someone called out to him with that name. He peeled his hands off of his face, and looked down. What at first glance he thought was a dessicated corpse on closer glance revealed a metal cadaver. Revulsion seized his stomach as he took in the details.

Its eyes had been smashed in, and a long-dried line of some black liquid trailed off down its face. Whatever clothes it had worn had since been reduced to tatters, leaving most of the underlying structure open to the elements. All over the body, wires were ripped out, struts were cut, and tubes lay mangled. Whoever wanted this done to this poor machine was thorough. Perhaps it was the incriminating weapon which sat impaled through the torso, pinning it to the wall. Confusion only mounted when Lars noted the corpse’s mangled hands gripping the handle- with such force that one arm had been detached at the shoulder, and yet it remained on the sword.

Lars offered an apology to the fallen, then attempted to pry the hands off the hilt. He grimaced at the sickening crunch the fingers- or what remained- made as they fell off one by one. Hilt freed, he grabbed with both hands and pulled. It took some effort, but eventually the blade struggled free, rattling its previous victim as it pulled free. Lars was surprised by the heft of the blade. He frowned. It felt awkward as he tested the balance. He would remember if he had swung a blade before- had he not trained in those arts?

His gaze was drawn to the writing engraved into the side of the sword, right above the hilt. “YoRHa Standard Issue”, it read. Ignoring the strange capitalization, he knew not what the group was, nor why they would bother putting ‘standard issue’ on the weapon. He had little time to dwell on these thoughts when an explosion sounded up over the edge of the building. He raced over to the edge and looked down, trying to pinpoint the source. Another shockwave hit him. There it was! It was hard to see details at this distance, but he could make out a white-haired girl fighting against- were those robots? In any case, she was clearly outnumbered. Lars made up his mind immediately. He had to go and help. He hefted the blade in front of him and charged toward the stairs. He could only pray that he reached there before she succumbed.

 

Lars turned as the hit the ground level. He didn’t know to feel relieved that this floor had to walls separating him and the fight, or to feel fear since he could see the robot which bore down on her. She sounded frantic.

“Damned pests,” she spat at her foe as her swords clashed against metal, “would you just give up already?”

The stalemate broke soon after she stopped talking as the robot swung quickly with its other arm, sending her flying to the wall. Much to Lars’s surprise, she launched herself back up from the impact and pressed the attack. More of the battlefield came into view as Lars approached the exit to the building.

How was this girl so nimble on her feet while she was wearing heels? How was she throwing two swords around which looked to weigh more than she did? One by one, she dove in and sent her weapons in- and sometimes though- her enemies, leaving little behind other than broken shells. He couldn’t just stand and gawk at this spectacle, however. Some of the robots decided Lars would be a much better target than the woman who was rending them apart almost two at time.

Lars struggled to swing his blade with a fraction of the power the woman was using with every thrust. At least the robots had the common courtesy to only attack him one at a time, but that chivalry ended when he tried to go on the offensive. At last, he managed to maneuver one of the robots right in front of him. The first swing sent the robot off balance, and the second sent the sword straight into the robot’s chest! Lars did it! He-

The robot looked down, then at Lars. It almost looked indignant that he would dare to do such a rude thing to him, as though he had purposefully spilled a drink on him. This look would not last long, since the robots head was sent flying to the side. Along with the rest of the body. Standing almost where the robot stood was the woman, staring holes into Lars.

“Who the hell are you.” Her tone was not that of a question.

“I don’t know.” Lars replied mostly truthfully. To that, the woman only looked more angry, and slightly confused.

“What do you mean, ‘you don’t know’? Are you with YoRHA?” A look of concern crossed her face and she took a step back. “Are you a prototype android?”

Lars hoped the confusion would be evident on his face, since he didn’t want to have to explain it to her. “No! I don’t even know what Yorha is! What’s with this ‘android’, anyway! I’m a human, like you!” Lars realized his mouth may have run faster than his mind did. If only he could un-say something. Now she looked completely confused.

“Wha- You.” She pointed at Lars. “You’re telling me you’re a human?”

Lars swallowed. In for a penny, “Yes. Aren’t you?” In for a pound.

The woman seemed to adopt a thousand-yard stare, seemingly looking through him. She barely whispered something. Lars thought he heard the word ‘lied’. She suddenly came back to reality, and walked up to him with savage determination. They would have stood eye-to-eye, were it not for her wearing heels. Lars came to the realization that this woman looked rather fine, were it not for the dirt and scrapes which covered her face. Wait, if there were scrapes, where was the blood?

“So then his heart would be…” The woman was talking to herself under her breath. She stepped forward, knelt down, and pressed the side of her head up against his chest. Lars pulled away in shock- just _what_ was this girl doing? Her arm snapped out onto his shoulder as she pulled him back into place. “Stop moving!” Social skills were not her strong point. She stood there for a few second. Lars hoped she would find what she was looking for. Listening for. Whatever. She managed to brutally disassemble robots, he was not going to go against her. Eventually, she pulled back, a look of pure disbelief on her face.

“What- What the Hell are you doing here?” She kept her iron grip on Lars’s shoulder.

“See, that’s a question I would like to know the answer to as well. I’m Lars. Could I at least have your name?”

It felt as though she was staring over every detail on him. “A2.”

“What?”

“My name is A2.” Apparently she thought no further explanation was needed.

“Is that a designation? A codename?”

“No, it’s not. You want regular names? Go talk to the androids at the resistance camp.”

“Androids?”

“...You really are hopeless, aren’t you? Look.” She reached over to one of the borders between her skin and what Lars had assumed to be some kind of clothing. How wrong he was when he saw her peel back _the skin_ , exposing more of the darker substance beneath. He pulled back in revulsion, and was about to make some exclamation of disgust, but was interrupted. By a voice from his right.

“9S to 21O. We’ve found rogue YoRHa unit A2, accompanied by an unknown entity. Requesting permission to engage.”

Lars and A2 whipped their heads in the voice’s direction. There stood two similar-looking people, a boy and a girl. Considering A2’s outburst, they were probably androids. They both had short, white hair, and covered their eyes with black blindfolds. The girl was taller, and wore a dress and heels in a strange defiance of fighting norms. Her gloved hands reached back for her weapons in preparation for the upcoming battle. It almost frightened Lars how porcelain-like their skin was. It felt almost inhuman. The boy was looking at a holographic screen emitted by the one of the two hovering robots behind them, which showed another woman, who had some covering on most of her face.

“Permission to engage granted. 21O out. Good luck.” The reply from the projected woman was terse before the hologram cut out.

“Be careful, 2B.” the boy said as he pulled a sword out from behind him. The girl said nothing, but brought her weapons up. Lars’s blood ran cold. Perhaps running was still an option.


	2. Bunker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle rages on between 2B and 9S against A2 and Lars, things end up on the bunker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, this is made by Coolguybest, all work goes to him. I thank him for everything.

2B and A2 lunged at each other, immediately engaging in a dance of death. There was no space for error- blade missed skin by a hair’s breadth, metal clashed against metal only to part before a second elapsed. Thankfully, they gave Lars and 9S a wide berth so they wouldn’t get caught up, or potentially cut up.

9S pulled his sword out from behind him. It hovered above his hands as he wound up and threw the blade at Lars. It wasn’t fast as it sailed toward Lars, giving him time to deflect the makeshift projectile. However, 9S was quick to direct his pod. As 9S’s thrown sword was parried, the pod opened fire, sending a near stream of bullets in Lars’s direction. Flinching, Lars turned and ran, dove to a loose slab of concrete, and heaved it up. His gambit payed off- the bullets seemed to be made of little more than energy or light, and although they certainly would have torn his flesh apart, they landed with little effect. Lars glanced up after a second of holding his makeshift shield and saw 9S sailing overhead, sword once again in hand. How did he do that?

Thankfully, 9S was not ready to attack on landing, and neither was his pod. Lars swung out and knocked the pod off to the side with a satisfying crunch. It tumbled out of the air, toward where A2 and 2B were fighting. 9S was obviously shocked by this turn of events, and refocused his attacks on Lars. His attacks were quick, but sloppy. Lars had little difficulty to block them, but had little time to be on the offensive.

An explosion knocked the two of them off balance. A sizable piece of shrapnel landed square into 9S’s cheek, and a number of small shards found themselves lodged in Lars’s arm. Lars feared the worst, looking over at where 2B and A2 were fighting- or had been.

The explosion had sent both androids flying away in opposite directions. They each landed in a heap, falling over each other. Major cuts covered both of them, lacerations leaked red blood in 2B, but some black ichor in A2. Lars noticed 9S aghast from the situation and stuck. 9S almost got out of the way. He managed to only get away with a nasty cut and bolted off to help 2B. Lars decided to so the same to A2.

“You alright?” Lars asked as he got to her.

“Nothing I haven’t taken before.” A2’s voice was grave as she struggled up. “Look-”

Lars whipped his head around, seeing some light pulse just before it hit him. He couldn’t move out of the way before it-

It landed on him and disappeared. Across the field, 9S looked baffled at the lack of response. 2B stood up behind him. They were talking, but Lars was couldn’t make out what they said. He felt A2 grab his arm.

“Lars… while she’s down… kill her.” A2 showed no compunctions about destroying her fellow kind and Lars knew he had no choice. Lars stood up and raced toward 2B, who was staggering forward, swords appearing in her hands. She grabbed 9S and moved him behind her, then charged at Lars.

The impact was intense. Lars was nearly thrown backwards, and she showed no signs of stopping! She lunged forward again. Lars brought his sword up to parry the blow, and found to his fright that the blade snapped under the pressure. The loose blade tumbled off, leaving Lars to stare straight into the mostly-covered face of 2B. She brought the blade swinging at Lars again. Lars threw his left arm in front of him to try to protect himself.

He barely felt it as the blade sliced through his arm as though it weren’t there. The world seemed to slow as his forearm tumbled and fell to the ground. Blood spilled from the stump and the severed part. An intense pain seared itself into his head a half-second later. Lars fell to the ground screaming. His right hand clamped down on his arm, desperately trying to stem the flow. He barely managed to unscrew his eyes from the pain, and saw A2 overseeing the scene in panic. A voice spoke up over him.

“Pod! Staunching gel! Now!” It was 2B. Why was she so concerned when she was willing to cut him down seconds before?

“Request denied:” a robotic voice intoned. Lars realized he was getting to blackouts. “Use of… potentially harmful.”

“I don’t…” 2B shouted back. Lars could make out little. “...e could…”

Unconscious had finally claimed him.

 

 

“Move it!” Lars saw himself in a memory. He knew this place before, he heard every word before. The crushing weight of rocks on his back constantly threatened to send him to the ground. He saw someone standing before him. His face was like a darkened smudge, yet Lars felt he knew him intrinsically. The world shook like a mirage and threatened to disappear. Lars struggled to focus. He didn’t want to let go, he was so close to understanding what this clue to himself was. The old feeling returned to him in the moment. Fear, loss, apprehension. Something was being torn from him. A white flash ripped though his thoughts, and he felt the memory fall to pieces around him. A single word stuck in his mind as the tatters of memory melted away

_ Father _ .

The world crumbled away, leaving him tumbling into the unknown.

 

Lars found himself staring at a white ceiling. He jumped as the past caught up with him. The battle. The enemies. He struggled to sit up, only to throw himself onto his side, much to his surprise. Why wasn’t his left arm- He brought his left arm in front of him, or what was left of it. Halfway to his elbow, his arm was capped in a metal plate. Cauterized skin rested against the plate, sending waves of nausea though him as the burnt flesh cracked. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He turned to see android looking down on him. She wore a hood which kept her hair tied back. Her clothes were simple and plain, reminding Lars of a surgeon’s scrubs, except all in black.

“Please calm down.” Her voice was oddly soothing as she led him lack to lying down. “The Commander will be here soon. She can explain everything to you.” Her hand remained on his shoulder as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then another. Guess he had to be patient.

The door opened less than a minute later. A woman dressed in white walked though with some androids behind her. As they stepped to the sides, he recognized the android on the right. She was on the hologram. He couldn’t remember what her name was, though.

“What the hell do you want?” Lars had little patience. He knew that she was directly responsible for this whole incident. He could tell. She flinched.

“Please calm down,” the woman in white spoke with unquestioned authority, “we can answer any questions you have.”

“How about this: what happened to my arm?” He swung his left arm for emphasis, making the android on the left jump back from her previously collected stance. The Commander turned to the android on the right.

“After you passed out, 2B applied staunching gel to the wound to stop the bleeding. What we could not have predicted was the adverse reaction between your body and the gel, which necessitated the amputation of your arm.” The android on the left further continued to recoil in disgust.

A look of anger twitched across the Commander’s face before she spoke. “I’m needed in the control room. I’m sure you two can take it from here.” She turned and left in rapid succession. Lars guessed her life was one filled with many distractions due to her standing.

“Right,” Lars spoke up, “could I have something to drink? Maybe eat?”

“Get him some water for now.” The android behind Lars directed this comment at the android on the left, who was all too eager to leave to get a mental break from what was going on.

The remaining android brought up a screen. “Alright. Would you mind answering some questions? They’re mostly for confirmation.”

“Wha- oh, fine. Just get them over with.”

“Name?”

“Lars.”

“Birth year.”

“Two thousand and three.”

21O paused and glared at Lars. “This is not a time for jokes.”

“You’re right, it’s not. Which is why I’m not joking.”

21O narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re seriously telling me you were born almost ten thousand years ago?”

“Ten th-” Oh, Lord. “I’m answering the questions you’re asking. Nothing more.”

21O sighed before continuing. “Our reports say that you have amnesia. Is this true?”

Lars thought for a second. “The only memory I have is practicing martial arts with my father.” The other android walked through the door, glass of water in-hand as he said that, prompting a fit of excitement, much to 21O’s chagrin.

“Wait, martial arts? I’ve heard about that! Some of the Battle Class androids have been talking about incorporating it and it sounds really cool and I know a few references in-”

“Yes, thank you, 6O. That’s very interesting.” 21O was quick to bring her outburst to a stop. She also sounded not interested at all in what 6O had been saying. She turned back to Lars. “I believe that’s all of the major questions taken care of. Now if that’s all, I believe that we need to-”

“Wait.” Lars interrupted.

“Hm? Something wrong?” 21O was caught off guard.

“Take me to A2,” Lars said, mostly above a whisper. Lars barely noticed 21O making the briefest of glances at 6O, but 6O just turned her head and gawked at 21O.

“No. First of all,” 21O began, “you’re being prepped for surgery, which is going to start in fifty-three minutes. Secondly, she’s a deranged, dangerous individual that YoRHa has wanted dead for years.”

“Please, just let me see her.” Lars was near begging at this point.

“And I must say again, no. I have already stated my reasons. What could you possibly want to hear from her?”

“What happened to humanity- why she was so shocked to see me?”

“Currently, humanity is hiding on the Moon, due to the ongoing Machine War. Look, you’re being prepped for surgery, this is not the time for questions.” 21O turned to the android behind him. “Everything proceeding well, 19H?”

“The synthesis of the materials is almost complete. We’re ahead of schedule.” Even when she wasn’t talking to him directly, the android behind Lars continued with her practiced tone. “We can move him in after the next set of tools has been synthesized, but we won’t begin early unless we get a go-ahead.”

“Alright. 6O, let’s report to Commander.” 21O executed a practiced turn and left, with 6O on her heels. Lars considered this could be his chance, to see if there was any way he could find A2. As he tried to push himself up, a hand on his shoulder pushing him down reminded him that someone wouldn’t be thrilled he would be leaving.

Eventually, 19H spoke up. “Alright, it’s time.” Lars felt the cart underneath him start to move. “The synthesizer has finished up the last set of items. We won’t be waiting long in the surgery room.”

As the doors to the new room opened, Lars saw two other androids arraying the different surgical instruments they would be using on him. He felt his stomach turn just looking at them. He felt 19H attach a number of diodes onto his head- standard surgical procedures, he thought. One of the androids turned to one of the walls, on which a screen appeared, showing the Commander’s face. Thankfully, it didn’t cover the whole wall, á la 1984. She began to speak.

“This is 81H; we are now ready to begin the operation on the human. Awaiting permission.”

“Permission granted.” The Commander replied, stern as ever.

“Understood,” 81H turned around as an anesthetic mask was fitted over Lars’s mouth and nose, “Team H-107-0-0, prepare to begin the operation: 8-0-0.” The world started to drift away beneath him. “44H, is the experimental prototype primed?”

Prototype? Experimental Prototype‽ In the anaesthetic haze, Lars freaked out- he was not going to allow himself to be subjected to something so untested. In his final moments of consciousness, he tried to reach out and disrupt the operation in some way- only for the last bastions in his mind to give way, dropping the world out from beneath him.


	3. Cyborg

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the surgery, Lars has his arm back, against the warnings of 21O and 19H, he decides to try and find A2. Tensions rise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit done by Coolguybest. Well, a big chunk of it. That stuff is by him.

 

Lars’s mind struggled back into consciousness. He blinked his eyes several times before he realized he wasn’t in the operating room. He was resting on a bed, which was built into an alcove in the wall. The soft fabric beneath him gave away far more than the gurney’s cushions had. Lars reluctantly ordered his head to turn, and he took in the rest of the room. It circled around him and threatened to bury him- it felt unnatural. _Brutalist,_ he thought, _if it were made of metal._

Lars first noticed the open doorway, with the door mostly inside the wall. Inside, he saw a sink made from polished stainless steel. The mirror above it was sunk into the wall, and in it Lars saw the bunched-up curtain of a shower. If he angled his head at just the right angle, he just saw the edge of the toilet.

His gaze slid across the room, and he saw the shelf next. Its construction was off-putting between the color, which seemed to be a blinding tint of white which couldn’t exist naturally, and its structure, which was affixed only to the wall and had edges which appeared razor-sharp due to the alien shine which reflected off the metal. A glass of water and a small, neat pile of books sat near the center of the shelf.

_Water._ With obvious effort, Lars flipped himself onto his side and used his left arm to push himself up, before-

Wait. His left arm? Lars sat up and stared at the incongruous invader which sat on his arm. Where before, a plate sat halfway down to where his elbow was, he had to bring it centimeters from his face in order to see the hairline seam which ran around his arm. From there up to the elbow, it was as if it was his own skin. A quick pinch confirmed it would feel pain for him. Below the elbow, however, it only resembled his arm in shape. The flexible black material seemed to glide over itself, interrupted only by the white line which idly traced itself down to his palm, where it curled into a circle and then broke out, one small line flowing up each of his fingers.

He brought his right hand up and tried pushing on the artificial skin. It held together, but felt like it was slipping away underneath the sliver of the surface. It stretched away as a whole as he pulled away- except for a some which lined the area between his thumb and elbow. The skin sickeningly folded back as his hand inched toward the newfound seam. An experimental tug caused a sliver of metal to slide out. Pulling it out further, he realized it was a hidden blade, the edge looking sharp enough to lodge itself into his leg should it fall.

Lars raised an eyebrow. They said it was an experimental prototype, right? He marveled at how it all fit and worked together as he slid the blade back. It worked far too well for that.

Lars turned as he heard the sound of something unlocking. To his surprise, a fair part of the wall slid down into the floor as an android walked in. Lars recognized her as 19H from the operation. He didn’t have many chances to look her straight on, but now that he was, he could see that her gaze had nothing but pure intent- she looked only at his artificial arm, his posture- whatever she looked at, it was not at him.

“Oh,” she began after taking two steps into the room, “you’re awake. I’m here to make sure everything is going smoothly. There aren’t any complications in your arm, are there?” Her voice sounded like it was reading off of a script and her question sounded like a challenge for him to make _any_ disparaging comment. She twisted his left arm in front of herself and began her inspection without waiting for him to reply.

“...It’s fine?” Lars hit himself mentally. The question he wanted to ask! “Could you tell me where A2 is?”

19H snapped her head toward Lars in shock and anger. “Wh- No, I can’t. She’s a rogue android who betrayed YoRHa, and she would slaughter you without a moment’s thought.” She resumed her inspection.  “It would be best for everyone, yourself included, if you were to avoid searching for her altogether.” She let go of Lars’s arm before turning to him. “I need to return and report my findings. Please, do not cause trouble that other androids would need to clean up after you.” She turned and left, the door sliding open, then closed behind her. 

"Well, that didn't answer my question." Lars thought to himself. But god damn it, if they weren't going to tell him were A2 was, then he would go search for her himself. Lars popped his head out of his door. No one was in the hallway, so he stepped out. Everything was a bit wobbly. And walking straight was a bit of a struggle. As he walked down the white hallway he noticed something, it was so dull, so... lifeless. Lars kept walking until he saw a cross section, with four other androids. Including the one who cut his arm off. They were having some sort of conversation, so Lars decided to have a little listen.

“Do you know anything about the high-priority transfer from Earth?” Lars had trouble making out who was speaking.

“So?”

“So? How many other times has this happened? Did anyone see what was on it?”

“It had to be important. Was it an old artifact?”

“They wouldn’t have done everything so quickly if it were just another artifact.”

“Do you think it could be a human?”

“27D, please don’t spread any rumors. You keep throwing that line around. _No one_ is going to believe you.”

“Well, what else would occupy so much of the synthesizer’s time? Why were a bunch of Healer androids ordered to go to a closed-off room? Isn’t one usually enough?” 

Their conversation was cut short by the Commander. "You four are to come with me immediately." Lars gave another peek, they were all walking off. Now was his chance, quickly and quietly he crept through the intersection, he was in the clear again. He kept walking. It was a while until he reached a room, one labeled "cells". This was his destination, and normally he could get it. If it weren't for the two androids standing guard at the door. Lars looked around, there was nothing that could distract the guards. And he can't take on two androids with firearms with a hidden blade. He looked at his arm, and saw the two perfect things. Two switches labeled, "phase-shifter" and "cloaking" were on the bottom. He pressed both and before he knew it, he could not see himself. He walked in front of the guards and waved. They didn't notice him so he tried walking through the door. And he did. When he got in, he turned his cloaker and shifter off. Lars saw a cell, made of some see-through material and there was A2, laying on her side resting on a bench-bed.

"A2." Lars whispered.

No response. "A2." he said again, louder.

Still no response, Lars wanted to shout but he couldn't for the ones outside might just hear him. So he'd just knock with his left arm.

*Click! Click!*

A2 issued one last snore cut short before deciding to wake up. She slammed one hand onto the bench she rested on, then slowly pushed herself up. Her other hand lazily rubbed her eyes as she sat up. She let it drop as her face settled into a deep glare, one which had found itself imprinted in her ancient face, only to shatter into a look of surprise. Jumping back, she lost her balance on the thin bench and tumbled to the ground, rapidly falling into a roll, setting herself back onto her feet. 

"What are  _you_ doing  _here_?" she asked, pure shock on her face. 

"I managed to sneak past the guards. Listen, where are we?" he asked.

"The Bunker. It's the YoRHa headquarters," A2 quickly responded. "Listen, you shouldn't be involved with me, go back to your room." A2 had her eyes cemented on the door leading out.

"No, I'm not leaving you here. I'm getting you out." he told her. He drew his blade and began cutting the material. But before he could even make it half way, the door slid open. Standing at the entrance was the Commander, the four androids from the hallways, and the two guards from outside. The four drew their swords and the guards raised their firearms.

"Get away from her!" the Commander shouted.

"No."

"Excuse me?" she asked, she said it in a such a way like she was afraid.

"I said, NO!" Lars shouted, and out of pure impulse, pointed his hand at the androids who opposed him. A bright yellowish-white light began to shine from the groves in his arm, and the circle on his palm.

"Commander, get back!" said the gunner on the right. She grabbed the Commander by the arm and pulled her behind the four holding swords.

It was quite easy to figure out from there that his arm could do some serious damage, so he kept it raised. He could see the fear in the Commander's eyes.

Finally the Commander spoke up, "What in the world were you doing? She's a traitor and a hazard to all of us in this room, including you!"

"I was trying to help her escape. You cut my arm off, then turn me into some kind of weapon, and you expect me to be sympathetic to you?" He gestured at his arm. The gunner on the left raised her gun a little more, aiming for Lars' head. The one on the right did the same thing. One wrong move and Lars could find his head being blown right off. A trickle of sweat slid down on Lars' head and fell to the ground. He didn't even know what his arm did, or how to fully activate it.

"Weapons down..." said the Commander.

"Wha-! Commander? He could annihilate all of us right now!" Annihilate? Lars liked the sound of that.

"Just do as I say," she continued, "Put your arm down."

"Do you honestly think I'll do that, what if you order one of them to shoot me!? Or order  _them_ to lop my head off!" he yelled.

"I will not."

"The answer is still no." said he.

"If I order to release her, will you lower your arm?" the other androids looked, not anxious, but now shocked.

"I just might." Lars said, with gritted teeth.

"Before I do that, tell me why you desire her release."

"I trust her miles more than I trust any of you."

"Might I ask why?"

"Stop asking questions and let her out already!"

The Commander stayed silent, and just gestured toward A2's cell. One android hesitantly stepped forward and punched in a code, and the door slid open. A2 walked out.

"She is out, I hope my actions will not be regretted," she pointed her crop at A2, "Step out of line again, and I will have you destroyed." she signaled for the other androids to leave.

As Lars and A2 walked out of the room, they were surrounded with several other YoRHa soldiers, 9S included. "All of you are to get back to work." the Commander announced. They all began to disperse but not before shooting one more nasty look at the two. Everyone left except for 2B and 9S.

"What the hell were you thinking!" 9S' tone was more of a demand than a question.

"I was not thinking, I was helping her!"

"Not the point, you had a traitor of YoRHa freed! She's dangerous, and now she's free and walking in our headquarters! How can you even trust her?" 

"You're seriously talking to me about trust? How dare you!"

2B turned her head towards A2, "Last time we fought, it was a draw, this time I will kill you without a moments hesitation."

"We'll see about that." said A2, glaring back at 2B.

Meanwhile as they continued to glare at each other, Lars' and 9S' argument was still raging on. "Trust her? You must be out of your mind!"

"I just do! What? You want an explanation? Fine! First of all, she didn't try to kill me right off the bat, like you two did. She isn't the one who cut off my fucking arm! And I very much doubt that she is the one who ordered me to be weaponized! With all that said, I think I have a right to trust her millions of more times than you people!"

“Fine, I might not know what you’re thinking, but I hope you know what you’re doing. Need I remind you she’s a trait who’s killed countless androids? What’s to say she won’t end you?”

"I thought I just said all of my reasons!"

"But that didn't answer the question. What makes you so sure she won't end you?" 

"Because I'm not like 2B." said A2, now in the boys' argument.

"What?" asked 9S.

"You heard me, I'm not like 2B. I won't kill him." she pointed at Lars.

"Are you implying that 2B will kill me?" he asked anger in his voice. Now Lars was confused.

"ENOUGH!" shouted 2B. She clenched her fist, "You have no idea what you're talking about! And this conversation is over, 9S we're going."

"Wha-! 2B!"

"I said, we're going!"

9S did not respond and just followed, leaving Lars and A2 together in the hallway. A2 looked down at Lars, "Why did you help me?"

"I said I trusted you more, before. I wasn't lying." he responded.

"Thank you." said A2.

Lars and A2 were going to walk back to his room until an android came up carrying some clothes, and his floating machine also held some clothes, "The Commander has ordered me to give you these, I have my eyes on you, traitor. Make any wrong move and I  _will_ report you." he glared at A2, then handed over the clothes and walked off. 

"You seem to be hated."

"Well, I did kill several androids before ending up here again. Who's changing first?"

"Ladies first." Lars smirked.

A2 entered the room and then came out a few minutes later. She was wearing something quite different, her entire torso was a dark grey, a piece of armor decorated the left side of her chest. She had a sleeve to cover her shoulders and a second one to cover the rest of her arm, they looked like two pieces stitched together, and some strange patterns on them. To top her arms off, armored gloves. She wore some kind of sash on her waist, grey pants covered half of her thighs, fur covered the rest to her knees. Two more sleeves decorated her knees and she was still wearing heels, armored ones making her taller than Lars again.

Next was Lars' turn, he entered the cell room again and looked at his clothing. It looked like a uniform the male androids wore. Were they weaponizing him even further. Lars knew that there'd be no way out of being a soldier so he just got dressed. He looked at himself the torso was nearly identical to what 9S wore, five gold buttons on each side of his chest. His right sleeve was whole and he had a glove. His left sleeve went halfway to his elbow, exposing the rest of his arm. Rather than wearing shorts like the others did, he had long pants that tucked snugly into his boots. He sighed and stepped out.

When he did, 9S was right there with A2. He looked at Lars, "Follow me." he said quietly.

Lars did so and A2 followed. They reached an elevator, and entered. They ascended until they reached their destination. They walked into a room full of boxes and other stuff. It appeared to be an armory of some sort. And a lone android stood in the corner getting something. 

"801S." 9S said.

The android looked up and grabbed a sword that looked exactly like A2's. "This is for you, it's a customized type 4O sword, and the trigger will cause an energy burst in the blade, making it twenty times stronger, it's lighter, too." He handed the sword to Lars, "Sheathe it on your left." Lars put his new sword on his hip and it just stuck there.

"Let's go." 9S said. As they left Lars saw that he looked as if he was going to stab A2 at any minute. One question plagued Lars' mind. What did A2 mean when she said how she was not like 2B. Before he could ask, they reached the bottom and the Commander stood there to greet them.

She looked at Lars and A2, "You both are to return to the human's quarters," she pointed at A2, "Your quarters are being arranged right now, so you'll have a temporary stay at his room," then she looked at Lars again, "Food will be delivered momentarily." she let them go and the both of them walked to Lars' quarters. In the room Lars sat down on his bed. A2 sat beside him.

"Mind if I grab a book?" she broke the silence.

"Go for it."

"Hey, A2?"

"What?"

"What did you mean when you said you weren't like 2B? I know your not going to kill me but, what did you mean?"

"She's not really 2B. Her name is actually 2E, an execution type made to kill deserter YoRHa troops."

"9S will desert?"

"Hell if I know, all I know is that she is assigned to 9S to kill him over and over again, I don't know why." A2 said, grabbing a book and opening it. She stared at Lars, "I've questions for you, too."

"Shoot."

"You risked your life for me, because you trust me?"

"Well, yeah. You didn't try to kill me when we first met. And you didn't cut my arm off."

"How did you get here?"

"That's what I want to know, I don't know how though. 21O said that humans were on the moon, I don't know how I got to Earth. My theory is that I've traveled to a parallel dimension or to the future."

"That's a pretty far fetched theory."

"Hey, it's just a guess. Maybe I'm supposed to be on the moon and my family is worried sick right now. Question is if I am, then what am I doing here? Why do I have a room, why am I weaponized, why not just send me back?" he held his head, then the door opened and an android carrying a plate walked in.

"This is for you." she put the plate on the table, "I'm also supposed to tell you that you have training beginning in an hour and a half. Head over to the training room when finished." she walked out the door.

Lars walked over and picked up the cover. It was mackerel on the plate. Lars decided to eat it. How incredibly bland it was. Oh well, he didn't appear to have the luxury of good food while he was here. He finished up in forty five minutes. Meaning he had forty five minutes left. He decided to pass the time by reading a book. Talking to A2 was out of the question, she was glued into, " ALEX RIDER: Russian Roulette". Lars saw a book that said, "Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm" he opened up and began reading the fairy tails, forty minutes passed by like nothing, he got through about sixteen and a half tales.

"Best be going, later."

"Later." responded A2.

And so Lars walked to the training room. As he stood in front of the door, he took a deep breath and entered.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A2 is wearing the dlc outfit.  
> And yes, what she was reading is an actual book, it's really damn good and it's written by Anthony Horowitz. What it's doing in the world of NieR is unknown. The book that Lars read is also real, "Household Stories" by the Brothers Grimm.


	4. Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lars trains as much as he could, regaining his old training in the process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The hidden blade that Lars has is like batman's arm spike thingies, except he has one large one.

When Lars walked into the training room, he saw the four androids from before. They all looked at him, he saw one clench her teeth and fists. "You're here." she smiled, with extreme hostility. Lars felt as if she wanted to hurt him.

"Now, now 27D, there's no need to be so hostile."

"Not hostile? Have you lost your mind, 37B? This fucker threatened to blow all of us to hell if The Commander didn't release that traitor!" My hostility is going to be the least of his worries!"

"Both of are to stop," she looked at 2B, "2B, we are ready to begin."

"Roger that 61B, the training of the human is commencing." she responded.

"Roger that 2B," it was the voice of 9S, "Recording in 3... 2... 1..., Recording."

They all looked at Lars, he could hardly react when one of them lunged at him with a sword and swung at his head. From behind, 27D almost impaled him with her lance. Lars managed to evade that somehow as well, "What the fuck are you people doing?! You all trying to kill me?!" he asked frantically. They did not respond, just one responded by punching in the back with samurai helmets. He was backed against a wall now, he feared that this was the end for him. But then, they stopped.

"Trial one completed." said the one with combat bracers, 37B right?

"Trial one?"

"Yes, we were supposed to test you, how you'd fare against all of us at your current state."

"That's a pretty fucked up trial."

"What? Do you want an apology?" asked 27D. Lars was really beginning to dislike her. She was kind of a bitch in his eyes.

"Now we begin the real training, it will take at least half a week to complete." 2B stated.

Half a week? Must be pretty efficient. It started with fighting styles and how to properly swing a sword. In the training Lars became more and more efficient with his sword every passing second, even 2B was quite surprised by how fast he was learning. In practically two hours, Lars' skill with his blade was that of 2B's or A2's. The four were shocked. Next was his hidden blade. This was taught by 37B. After all she did use combat bracers and the blade  _was_ mounted on his arm. So they were quite similar weapons. It was quite nifty an useful to learn that his arm blade was a sonic blade. It could vibrate at such high speeds, that it could cut through nearly everything. Also good for parrying enemy attacks. Learning  _how_ to parry properly was a bit more of a challenge though. Especially because 27D was very subtly trying to kill him.

In due time (ten hours) Lars properly learned how to, use a blade, his hidden blade, and how to parry, but he was still far from being finished, and to be honest, he was pretty tired, but still had a bunch of stamina. 

"Could I get a break?" he asked, panting.

The androids did not respond, they just stuck a needle in his right arm and pushed. He felt more awake, was that adrenaline? Or something manufactured by YoRHa. Oh well, it worked and his strength returned. It better not be nicotine. The training continued for another two hours before 2B spoke up.

"It was expected to take you at least half a week, but you managed to master everything in twelve hours. We were saving this however, since you managed to accomplish your skills, we will test you again." 

"Test? Like, you all attack me again?"

"Correct." said 61B.

"Initiating combat floor." the speaker announced, still being 9S.

It was Lars versus 27D first. As the floor was set, she was first to lunge first. Man, she really wanted my head on a stick, thought Lars. He managed to evade and kick her aside. As he charged she got back up and threw her lance at him, he managed to hit it into the air with his sword but without knowing, he fell into her trap. As the lance flew in the air, she ran and did a back flip kick on Lars, catching her spear she trusted into Lars, almost, just almost. He narrowly dodged it, but with a cut on his right side. He held it and gritted his teeth. He needed a plan. In the bystander area, the other three were speaking.

"He's doing quite impressive." stated 37B.

"Let's see how much longer he can hold off," smirked 61B, "27D is quite ferocious after all."

2B just stayed silent and watched. The battle raged on, Lars kept evading. 27D twirled her lance and began slashing with it, using like a naginata. She kept striking and he had no time to be on the offensive, until he remembered, parrying. He drew his arm blade and parried a stab attack, then he punched forward, 27D tried to blocked with her lance just as Lars would hope. The blade began to vibrate and in seconds, 27D's lance was in two pieces, and a sword up to her neck. "Gotcha." 27D looked pretty pissed off and she put her hands up.

Next up was 37B. She held up her samurai helmet combat bracers, "You ready?" she asked. Lars responded with a quick nod. They had to patch up his cut from before this fight. This time, Lars and 37B lunged at each other. They were face to face, both their weapons clashed together. They were eye to eye, and she smiled. That was not a good sign, she bought her left hand down and tried to punch up. Lars managed to block it with his sword, and began going on the offensive. He slashed two times and switched to a back hand to try and confuse her. She kept blocking and pulled out a larger sword and hit Lars back. "Not bad. I'm starting to get excited!" she threw her bracers in the air and like baseball, hit the bracers with her sword toward Lars. He managed to deflect them, and saw her charging forward. Grabbing the bracers again, she threw a flurry of left and right hooks at super sonic speeds all of them hitting Lars, destroying his ribs. One blow struck his head, and the left bracer shattered and he fell unconscious.

As he lay in an empty void. Someone or something began speaking to him.

 

"Poor boy." said a voice, the one from before.

"You are quite beaten."

"Wh-what?"

"Would you like more power? Or rather, your... memories?"

"Wh- who are you?" 

"Heh heh heh, in due time dear boy. Now, would you like more power?"

"God, yes. Please, more." Lars raised his arm up toward the sky.

"Are you certain? You could kill her?"

"Shut it. Give me more power!"

"Very well! HEHEHEHEHEHE AHAHAHAHAHA!"

 

He awoke to 37B gloating. "Is that you've got? That's pretty pathetic!" He saw the shattered bracer. As more of his memories began flowing back into him, he regained a bit more of himself every second.

"Hey." he stood up and turned around, wiping the blood from his head.

"Hmm?"

"You done yet? Pathetic you say? We'll see." he was smiling in confidence and holding back the pain of his broken ribs.

She gritted her teeth in excitement. As she rushed forward, one bracer in her hand and a large sword in the other, so did Lars. Arm blade extended and sword in hand, but he was faster. He began slashing away at 37B who was now  _taking_  hits. She couldn't keep up, her sensors just could not detect Lars no matter how hard she tried. He stopped behind her, she tried to shoot her bracer at him but she missed. For Lars was now in front of her, she tried to slash but he knocked her sword right out of her hand.As it landed behind her she tried to punch with her normal arm. "Still trying?" asked Lars, she tried punching him again. Another memory came back to him as he evaded her strikes.

It was the voice of the one he called father, "Remember, grab the base of the arm, strike where it connects to the torso, weakening it. Then hold the elbow and forearm, now with all of your strength and speed, pull." As Lars stood there remembering, 37B saw this as her chance. She rushed over to her sword and grabbed it, then charged. Seeing right through her attack, sheathing his sword he ducked underneath her sword and struck her hand, forcing her to let go of her sword. He grabbed her arm, struck the connection point with his two right fingers, and grabbed hold of her elbow and forearm. AND THEN!

"P-PLEASE DON'T! I'M BEGGING YOU!" 37B screamed, her calm demeanor was completely shattered.

Lars remembered something, he was ruthless but not cruel so he let go. "I win." he smiled. 37B fell back onto her arms and let out a whimper. "To think I nearly ripped your arm off. Don't gloat anymore, alright?" all she did was nod.

The next battle against 61B was pretty easy. With all of his skills back, he had no problem fighting her. The YoRHa training combined with his martial arts made it easy. It started with evading her swings. Eventually, she tried to bring her sword on him and he caught it with both of his hands and broke off the blade. He then proceeded to kick her at lightning speeds and chopped her neck area. Using a technique called "thundering palm" he hit her with both of his open hands, sending her flying back, finishing her off. Lars at this point was exhausted, but that did not matter the match was now over and he had won every single one of them and broke a few bones in the process.

"All trials ended. Time: sixteen hours," 9S announced, "Ending recording." As Lars was walking back into the bystander area to talk to 2B, he saw that A2 was watching.

"2B." Lars stated, as 61B was carried off, being escorted by an angry 27D and 37B.

"Well done, you have performed exceptionally. Your training should've been completed in half a week, and yet it took you sixteen hours. I'll report this to command. 9S, help his bones." then she walked off.

As 9S was descending A2 spoke up, "I saw all of that you know."

"You did? What did you think?"

"Honestly, that was pretty amazing."

"Really?"

"You just fought three YoRHa androids who were way more experienced in combat than you were and you beat all of them. And you shattered a combat bracer"

As 9S walked over to them he asked, "Alright, what's broken?"

"I think just my ribs, two on the right and one on the left."

"Alright hold still, Pod."

"Affirmative." As his pod began to fix his ribs using x-rays to look inside and using some energy circles to hold his ribs in place, Lars decided to speak up.

"Hey, 9S?"

"Hmm?"

"Look, I'm really sorry about before. I know that A2 is guilty of some things but, I shouldn't have lashed out like that. Let's put this behind us and be friends, yeah?"

"Well, when you put it that way, I'll apologize too. A2 is your friend and I think you can keep her under control. I'm sorry about that and request accepted." he smiled and looked up at Lars.

"Wait. Control? I'm not his pet!" A2 said rather angrily.

"I didn't mean it in that context. With him around, you won't rampage right?" he sounded concerned.

"Sure." she sighed.

"Alright then, I suppose I should ask for your name."

"It's Lars."

"Nice to meet you Lars. My name is 9S, my friends call me Nines."

"Nines huh? I like that." Lars smiled at his new found friend.

"Your bones should heal up really quick, I need to go with 2B to speak with the Commander, I'll see you later." he said walking out the door.

"So you two are friends now?" A2 asked Lars.

"Yep."

"Just don't let him get in my way."

"I won't."

"C'mon, foods being delivered to your room, I don't have one yet and I still want to finish that book."

"Will do."

And finally, Lars walked out of the training room. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are wondering, Lars "thundering palm" technique looks like the hadouken pose, except his hands are way closer together and both are straight.


	5. Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, some rest. But that will be cut short by a strange interaction and his first mission.

As Lars and A2 walked back into his room, he saw a plate that was neatly placed there already. As A2 sat back down, he lifted the cover. It appeared to be roasted potatoes. Lars offered A2 some, which she accepted. As they both took a bite, it was pretty shitty. It felt burnt and was probably overcooked. He looked at her.

"Guess YoRHa androids aren't the best cooks."

"Yeah well, they don't really ever  _need_ to cook. We don't have to eat."

"True."

Lars finished up the horrible food making several grimaces in the process. When he finished up he decided to wash and rest. He walked into his bathroom and looked around. He wondered, " _Where was YoRHa getting the water and food? Oh well, it's here and_ _I'm grateful for it."_ he thought to himself as he got into the shower he saw several switches. He pressed "warm" and "rain", those were the exact words to describe it. It was like warm rain, all the muck was washed off and Lars washed every centimeter of his body, even rinsing his synthetic arm. When he got out, he dried his hair with a heating device and told A2, "I'm going to sleep, think you could move please?"

"Yeah, guess I should rest, too." she yawned.

"You gonna sleep on he floor?"

"It's fine, I do it all the time."

"At least have a pillow."

"Now, you don't have to-"

"Naw, just take it, I don't need two pillows."

"Alright, thanks I guess."

A2 fell asleep practically immediately.It took Lars a bit, " _I'm a soldier now, huh? Better be temporary._ " he thought to himself before drifting into darkness. He was in a deep sleep before he knew it. And as he was floating in the dark, a voice called out to him.

 

"Lars."

"Wha?"

"Lars."

"Who's there? You sound an awful lot like me, only with a deeper voice."

"Yeah, look behind you, jackass." said the voice.

Lars looked behind him and saw two people. The one on the left had longer hair and wore a grey shirt. The torso was covered by a chest plate accented with blue, like A2 he had a second pair of sleeves, these were white and the left sleeve was accompanied by some armor for his elbow, but his arm was pure flesh and blood. He had a holstered sword on the back of his waist, the blade looked rather big and unbalanced. "My sword's pretty cool right?" he took it out. "It  _looks_ unbalanced, but it has perfect, weight, power, and speed." It had a long and wide blade, and the hilt was rather long, and had a guard. The blade was also accented with some blue.

The one on the right however, looked way older, he had a scar across the front of his throat. He still had longer hair and was growing a bit of a beard, and he was wearing what appeared to be a modified version of Lars' outfit. It was rather ripped and had pieces of body armor on it's knees and elbows. His left arm looked rusty and way more monstrous, as if it was modified to be so. He wore a cloak and had both Cruel Oath and Virtuous Contract. Both being 9S' and 2B's weapons. Lars could tell he had been through a lot, his hair was even beginning to grey on the sides.

"Wh-who are you guys?"

"Not now, our time is short. But, for starters, we are both you." said the armored one. "I've adopted the name 'Caim' so you can call me that."

"I am Lawsh." said the other. "We are both you, but we come from different futures. Caim's timeline is where YoRHa developed a portal to send you back, but you ended up in a fantasy world. One with dragons and magic. My future is where everything happened according to plan, YoRHa was destroyed, everyone died, and I never found my way home."

"We come from timelines, but they're also universes. You are Lars Prime. Remember that and we'll see you after you kill Adam. We're out of time perhaps when we meet, we can explain everything in full detail." said the one called Caim.

"Wait! Adam? Universes? What are you both talking about? What do you mean, "according to plan, YoRHa was destroyed"? As the both of them walked off, Lars began going back into the light.

 

His eyes fluttered open. And he looked at the clock, seven hours had passed since he decided to sleep. A2 still lay there on her back, softly snoring. Lars had decided not to wake her, instead he went into the bathroom and showered, this time he chose "warm" and "waterfall". The water output was really hard and it was like he was getting hard jetted by a hose. But he withstood it, he needed to ask someone about what had happened. As he got out of the shower and changed back, he was about to leave when the door slid open. There stood 2B and 9S, "Hey, what's up?" asked Lars casually.

"The Commander has called for us, you and A2 included." 2B responded.

"What's going on?" 

"We're going on a mission." 9S said.

"So soon? Am I even ready?"

"Well, the report that we gave to the Commander stated that you have high combat capabilities, you took down three experienced YoRHa battle androids."

"Fair enough."

Lars excused himself and woke A2 up. She had one last snore before lifting her head, "What?" she asked.

"Mission." 

Hearing that, A2 just got up and stretched a bit. "Lead the way." she stated and the four of them left. The urge to tell someone came again, as they began walking down the hallway Lars knew exactly who to tell.

"Hey, Nines?" he whispered while 2B and A2 walked in front.

"What is it?"

"Before you guys came I had a weird dream."

"Weird dream? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just hear me out, alright? Listen, there were two guys, they claimed to both be me and they had different names. The one called Caim looked to be about twenty and he said something about YoRHa developing a portal and sending me back, only to a different place and all contact was cut off so he was basically stranded there. The other one was "Lawsh". He looked to be forty and said how everything went to plan and YoRHa was destroyed. And the dream ended, they said they'll see me after I kill Adam."

"That's weird alright, but what did he mean YoRHa was destroyed?"

"It's still unclear to me, so I can't explain. Who is this Adam fellow they told me about."

"He and his brother are machines, they are our enemies. And they seek to find the humans on the moon after destroying us."

"We're here." 2B cut in. They were at the command center and they were greeted by the Commander. She finished up talking to two other androids and faced 2B.

"Good, you're all here, let's begin. Your mission is simple, aid the resistance in investigation the anomalies," she faced towards Lars, "You will be given a customized flight unit, nutrition bricks with water, and you can also run a field test on your arm's 'Smash Cannon' and force field."

"Smash Cannon?" Lars asked looking at his arm as an operator handed him a bag that had food and water in it.

"It's what you threatened to kill us with." the Commander smirked.

As they walked down the hallway to the hanger 9S began explaining, "Your cannon is your most powerful weapon. And I'll be taking control of your flight unit after we take off." They walked into the hanger and the three got into their flight units, Lars saw an android walk up to him and told him to follow her. She led him to what appeared to be a standing mech, it had arms, legs, wings, missile pods on those wings, two gun mounted shoulders, a sword, and an open piloting port. That looked like it would not offer any protection at all.

"Don't worry, it's completely safe." she said walking off. Lars had no other choice, so he entered it. The open places sealed up with some kind of glass-like material. And the entire cockpit went black, then turned on. It was like he was just standing on nothing, he could see everything around him, except it was littered with all different readings and what not. Two screens were in front of him, one turned on. 

"The cameras on the outside will be your eyes, good luck. 9S will take control of your flight unit momentarily." the screen turned off and the one on the right turned on.

"Alright, taking control now. Get ready for the G-force."

Lars took a deep breath and all of the sudden he was almost crushed by a huge gravitation push. His legs felt like they were going to break, but they didn't. He was flying though a port and out into space. He looked around in his cockpit and saw the other three flying towards the Earth. He kept going and saw every detail of space and the Earth. "Entering atmosphere. Beginning atmospheric entry procedures."

Lars saw that a circle had formed beneath his flight unit and he was entering the Earth. He felt the flight unit getting heated up, as if he was about to be cooked alive inside this thing. But after a minute or two, they entered the Earth. Lars felt a sense of relief, "We're landing here." 2B said on his screen, they all landed in their mech forms. As they all got out, Lars coughed out some blood. It went splat.

"You alright?!" A2 asked, the same look of concern from before.

"I'll be, urg!" Lars coughed a bit more out, "fine. Just the G's hit me pretty bad, I think I'll get used to it." Lars huffed. He regained his composure and began following the others, eventually they got to an alleyway, leading into some sort of courtyard. The courtyard was filled with androids, but they all looked ragtag, however one caught his eye. He was sitting in a window sill of one of the ruined buildings. He wore what appeared to be a modified version of Lars' uniform with a cloak and had a demonized looking version of his arm. Lars wanted to shout at him but in a blink of an eye, he was gone. Was that the one called Lawsh? He had so many questions now, but he convinced himself to regain his concentration. 

A woman stood with an assault rifle, she wore a green cloak and a white long sleeved shirt with gloves. Combat pants and boots for her legs and she had a red pouch on her right leg. Lars assumed that was for ammunition. "2B, our troops are ready an-" she was caught off guard by A2, "Number 2?"

A2's expression did not change, "Hey, it's been a while, Anemone."

"I-I thought you died!" 

"I didn't, now I'm here."

"It's good to see you again."

It seemed they knew who each other were already. Lars looked passed "Anemone" and saw nine other androids, they all looked pretty normal, if "normal" included cloaks and face masks with goggles and other gear. They all carried guns, all but two. These two had the same face and clothing, their hairs were even the same colors, however one had messy hair and wore a flower on her left side, the other one had straight hair and wore a flower on her right side. Were they twins? He snapped out of it when he heard Anemone talk to him, "Lawsh?" she asked.

"N-no, I'm Lars." 

"You look an awful lot like Lawsh. It's kind of scary, it's as if you're his clone or something." she took a closer look at his face and his arm, "You even have a mechanical arm. Strange."

"Lawsh?" 2B asked.

"Oh, you haven't heard of him. He's a mysterious fellow that helps us out time to time. He wears a YoRHa uniform mixed with resistance gear, he even wields the swords you and 9S have. He has a sonic blade on his arm, but he hardly ever shows up. He looks an awful lot like Lawsh," she pointed at Lars who was now positive that at least Lawsh was real, "are they from the same model?"

"We don't have any data on this 'Lawsh' character, is he a deserter? And why haven't you told us about him."

"We don't know, but every time he appears he helps with unparalleled strength and speed. He once took a goliath down with two slashes. But he always disappears before we can thank him. And he always appears to take care of a threat we can't handle. We couldn't tell you because we have insufficient data on him."

"I'll keep that in mind." 2B said.

"But, why does Lars look so much like Lawsh? Are they the same model?"

"No, he's human." Anemone went silent to hearing this.

"Wha-? That can't be." she looked at Lars then back at 2B, "What's a human doing here?"

"He can fight, in a test he showed unparalleled strength and speed, us androids could hardly keep up with his movements. Just like this Lawsh character you've told us about."

Lars couldn't help but think, if Lawsh was a real person and here on the planet, could Caim also exist? As he thought, he saw the red haired ones go up to him. They took a look at him and began speaking to each other, "He does look an awful lot like Lawsh." said the one with messy hair, she looked back at Lars.

"Devola, you shouldn't be staring." said the other one.

"My name is Lars. 'Lawsh' is the Swedish pronunciation of my name." 

"So in other words, you even have the same name as him." said the one with straight hair.

"Than he really could be an older version of me," Lars told himself, "Could I get your names?"

"I'm Popola, that's my sister Devola." said the one with straight hair, "You say Lawsh could be an older version of you? How is that possible?"

"When I first saw him in my dream, he and Caim explained how they were just like me once, they woke up here and how the both of them were from alternate timelines, but also universes. I'm Lars Prime, meaning I'm the main timeline in this universe, while they are the Primes of their universes. Perhaps this version of me traveled back to try and prevent his future. Look, it's confusing."

"Caim?" Devola asked.

"Yes?" said a voice behind Lars.

There, standing was him, the one from his dream. He was smirking and was standing behind Lars, Devola and Popola grabbed Lars and put him behind them, the both of them drew their swords and everyone looked at them.

"Whoa! Whoa! Talk about jumpy." said Caim he smiled, holding on to his sword. Anemone stepped forth, pointing a gun at him.

"Who the hell are you!" she shouted, it wasn't even in the form of a question.

"I believe,  _he_ can explain. He's already done a beautiful job." he smiled, and pointed at Lars.

"Y-your real!" Lars exclaimed.

"Damn right! And I think I'll help you on your little mission."

"Everybody put their weapons down, I can explain!" Lars said, stepping forth in front of Caim. He heard mutters about how he was insane.

"This again?" he heard 9S ask.

"No, we can vogue for for him!" said Devola stepping forth along with Popola to join Lars, "He was explaining how there are alternate timelines and this man belongs to one of them!"

"Thank you Devola," said he, "You heard her! Put your guns down, people!" Caim chuckled.

"Weapons down!" Anemone ordered, "Who are you?"

"Well, to put it short, I'm 'Lawsh', a younger more, fresh faced version of him. Like this guy," he put his hand on Lars' shoulder, "Lawsh is a human like him and me, but we're here to help, so please let us."

Anemone looked to be in deep thought, and finally made her decision, "I swear if you are lying and you're actually a machine, I will personally blow your head off, but as I see your answer to be pretty reasonable, then I'll let you help us. We need all the help we can get."

2B, 9S, and A2 all just looked shocked. Lars couldn't blame them, who wouldn't be in this situation? Anemone broke the silence, "Alright, people we are heading out."

As the party of fifteen were leaving, Caim was receiving death glares from pretty much everyone, as they walked to the giant hole, 9S spoke to Caim.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Lars, but I changed my name to Caim, so please call me that. I believe Lars mentioned me in his little 'dream'."

"What do you mean?" asked Lars.

"It was not dream, kid. I used my magic to transfer your mind to a realm where we could all talk privately." he said to Lars.

"Magic?" asked 9S.

Caim sighed and raised an open arm, light began to shine from it and a green flame formed on his palm. He then proceeded to extinguish it by closing his hand.

"So then, where is Lawsh?"

"He ain't here right now, he never really shows up. The resistance met him before, but this was their first time meeting me, even though Lawsh was supposed to talk about me. I suppose out sense of humor never goes away, no matter how old we get." he then looked up from both 9S and Lars, "Would you look at that, we're here!" They reached a huge sink hole, it spanded at least a mile and was accompanied by another hole that went deeper underground. As the resistance began getting down the latter, 2B and 9S floated down on their pods. And Caim formed a platform made of magic beneath A2, Lars, and himself, and they floated down the hole. 

"Hey, A2?" asked Caim.

"What?"

"I've really missed you, and seeing you made me happy again."

"Is that so? Why would you be interested in me though?"

"Well, I can't say. But Lars will show it in due time."

A2 just looked at Lars, who looked rather embarrassed. when everyone got down, they began walking towards an entrance. And the pods provided lights, they eventually reached some kind of door, it opened and everyone got inside. Lars looked around the structure, he saw corpses of strange creatures. Aliens? Everyone began looking around, but a voice could be heard.

"I see that there are quite a lot of androids here to greet us. And bought two humans." the party all looked behind them and Lars saw two androids, or rather machines. He recognized that voice. It was the one who talked to him all those times he was knocked out.

"You! You're the one I hear?" he drew his sword.

"Oh, yes. I am the one. The one you hear in your head, the one who bought you to this world, and the one with all of your memories." said the longer haired one, "I... am Adam."

"Wha-? You bastard! Give me back my memories!" Lars screamed. He was angry, and now reckless. He charged forth and drew his sword, rushing towards Adam he attempted to stab him. That attempt was in vain as Adam raised a shield and knocked him back.

"Open fire!" shouted Anemone. All of the resistance androids began shooting, but Adam and his brother just began blocking all of the shots.

"Eve, could you take care of those resistance androids?"

"You really mean it?"

"Of course, just let me have these YoRHa androids and humans."

"Alright!" the one dubbed Eve rushed forward and punched a resistance android, the both stood still for a  moment and a loud pop could be heard. That unfortunate resistance android had a hole punched right through him, Eve began laughing as the rest of them tried to attack him, he began killing the rest, one by one. As he kept attacking, Caim could not stand by and watch.

"Dammit, Lawsh" he cursed, "I'm going to help the resistance, you four can take Adam." He drew his sword and began charging towards Eve, with a swing of his sword he cut a giant pillar in half, but it missed Eve. As those two fought, Devola and Popola joined in. Lars focused back on his battle, the rage deep inside kept growing. 2B was slashing at Adam and used both her swords to begin combo cutting him. He kept blocking and 9S came forth to throw his sword at Adam, which he just it aside. Lars, using his speed was right behind Adam, he attempted to slash but his blade was caught by the villain. He was thrown into the ground and almost got stomped on had it not been for A2. She managed to pick him and get him back on their side. The four of them began fighting Adam again. Back on the resistance's side of things, Caim still battled with Eve. "You guys go help them! I can take this weakling!" he smirked.

"No you can't! He's too strong!" shouted a resistance member.

"I'm Lawsh in a way remember? Now go!"

"Fine!" shouted Anemone, "We're going to aid 2B and her team! Let's move!" they began running across the floor to Adam and the others. Lars kept using his slashes, but they were in vain. 9S kept using his sword along with 2B doing consecutive attacks. Again, Adam began blocking and laughing. A2 rushed forward, using her larger sword, she began to swing at him, she bought her blade down and Adam evaded, she signaled over to Lars to go. He stepped on her back and used it as a launching pad, he was using his sword like a sting. Adam kicked him down into the ground. But he wasn't done, Adam threw him into the air with his energy arms and kicked him several times before smashing him into the ground with his left leg.

"Oh my, even with your skills, you still can't seem to fight me. How... pathetic."

Lars wanted to get up and scream, but his body wouldn't listen to him. He was in unimaginable pain, he felt as if so many bones were broken. As if that weren't enough, Adam came down on his back, he heard several cracks. Was his back broken? He couldn't feel anything anymore. He wanted to get up, but he couldn't. The crushing weight of Adam and his intense pain stopped him. "LARS!" he heard, it was A2, she rushed forward with 9S and they began attacking, Adam just raised his shield. And knocked them back, he got off only to begin attacking the others, he was much too fast, and they couldn't keep up. As they began taking hits, Lars could only watch in horror as he smashed all of them against a wall. As he held them there, he began killing the resistance androids one by one. 

Back on Caim's side of things he saw everything that was happening, "Lars! Damn! This is bad!" he blocked a blow from Eve and slashed at him. "Last time I faced you, you were pretty weak! I see here in this time, you've gotten stronger!"

"I don't know what you're talking about, c'mon let's keep playing!" shouted Eve, a sick grin on his face.

"LAWSH! YOU JACKASS! THIS ISN'T FUNNY ANYMORE! COME OUT AND GIVE US A FUCKING HAND!!!!" shouted Caim.

As Adam killed another resistance android, he tore Anemone's arm off. He let go of the other three and punched A2 as she tried to cut him in half. He then kicked both 9S and 2B aside. He was going to finish off Anemone who lay on the ground, terrified. As he walked, a cloaked figure appeared in front of him and cut him across the stomach. The figure then proceeded to do the thundering palm technique on Adam sending him back, the cloaked figure then appeared right in front of Lars and picked him up. As the YoRHa members stood up, the figure appeared in front of them, holding Lars. He gave Lars' body to A2, who held him. "Stay back, get everyone out." he spoke. He drew his swords, Cruel Oath and Virtuous Contract.

"Wha-! Why do you have our weapons?" asked 2B.

"That's not important. Go help the rest." he said, "You'll only get in the way."

As Adam stood back up, rage spread across his face, "YOU!" he screamed.

"Me." said the hooded man. A large explosion could be heard and Eve went flying to where Adam stood. And Caim jumped to where the man stood.

"About damn time your ass showed up."

"We were supposed to wait until  _after_ , we killed Adam. You're the one who put the plan out of order."

"Who cares, let's go!" shouted Caim, he and the man charged forward and began fighting Adam and Eve.

As 2B and 9S began helping the others up and beginning to leave 9S couldn't help but ask, "Who is that?"

"Tha- That's, Lawsh." Panted Anemone, "We have to go, the both of them can handle it, right now we need to go." As the rest were leaving Lars tilted his head to look at the fight, Caim was now easily slashing Eve, and Lawsh was dodging every attack that Adam threw at him, he jumped and began leaving after images and slashed Adam several times as he jumped around. Caim and Lawsh jumped back, Caim threw a fireball and he heard Lawsh say something. Out of his left arm, a giant blast of energy annihilated Adam and Eve. They got back to where the others were.

"We have to go now! This ship is falling apart!" shouted 9S.

As they got out, the cave had become unstable as well. The rocks began falling and they kept running. They all managed to get out, or at least most of them.

There were at least four androids left from the original ten. Devola, Popola both had several cuts and were both bleeding. A single resistance scout had lost her leg, and Anemone had her arm missing. "Pod, staunching gel." said 2B, as their pods began sealing the wounds of Anemone and the scout, 9S walked over to Lars, who was still held by A2.

"Lars?!" he asked, "Listen you're going to be alright!" His vision was going but he saw Devola, Popola, Caim, and Lawsh also walk up to him. He could barely hear what was happening now.

"...is back... shattered." it was Popola.

"...e... get back to... unker..." said Caim.

"No... eeds help...w."

As Lars struggled to stay awake eventually, the pain got to him and it was too much, he passed out.

 

"Follow the light..." it was a female's voice.

Lars eyes began to open, someone held a flash light up to his face, it was 19H from before, "He's awake, Anemone." Lars sat up, he felt no pain but wasn't his back broken? His shirt was gone, most of his body was wrapped in bandages, his pants remained.

"The camp?" he asked, the night sky was full of stars, the beauty calmed him.

"You required immediate surgery. You would have died otherwise." said 19H, Devola and Popola walked up to 19H.

"We'll take things from here, thank you." Popola stood next to Lars as 19H walked away to help that scout, "How are you feeling?"

"The pain is all gone, what happened?"

"After you passed out, you needed surgery immediately. Your back was completely in pieces, so it had to be replaced. Most of your bones have healed just fine." Devola said.

"In other words, you're more of a cyborg now." Caim walked up to the three.

"C-Caim?" Lars saw that Anemone had her arm back and was talking to Lawsh, "Where are the others?"

"Gathering food for us. Listen what you need is rest, Devola and Popola, I need to speak with the both of you."

As Lars lay back down to rest, Devola and Popola followed Caim to an alley, "Listen, the both of you _need_  to keep an eye on him. We can't always be around, and if he dies, all of us die. Could you do that for us?"

"Alright, we'll keep an eye on him."

"Thanks."

Back over to where Anemone was speaking to Lawsh, "I can't thank you enough."

"We were supposed to show ourselves after Adam died."

"But you've helped us before."

"That was me putting our plan in motion. No need to thank me."

"Plan?"

"We cannot say what it is, but you'll see soon enough." Caim joined the conversation.

Anemone was about to talk some more, but a shuttle could be seen coming through. It landed outside, "YoRHa?" she asked. The shuttle landed outside the camp and out stepped the Commander, followed by multiple YoRHa androids. The most unexpected thing happened, she pointed her crop at Lawsh and Caim.

"Arrest them." 　

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Caim looks like Caim from Drakengard and Lawsh just looks like Caim from Drakengard 2 with different cloths, meaning that Lars looks like a younger Caim.  
> I didn't bother to describe Adam and Eve.  
> And yes, there are references to Drakengard


	6. Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Commander has ordered that Caim, Lawsh, and Anemone will be arrested, things look like a fight. But there are those who will vogue for them. Eventually, Lawsh and Caim gain the trust of YoRHa. And formulate a plan. Of course machines will attack, using Engels.

"Arrest them." those were the words that came out of the Commander's mouth. The androids around her surrounded, Caim, Lawsh, and Anemone. Lars saw this and quickly got up from his bed, against the wishes of Devola and Popola.

"What's happening?" asked Anemone.

The Commander kept her stern face, "You three are to come with us, you kept these individuals who could potentially be enemies. One wears a YoRHa uniform, maybe he could be a deserter, and you were harboring him."

"He's not a deserter!" shouted Lars.

The soldiers looked at him, he staggered closer to the three right past the soldiers, "The both of them are me! They come from another time!"

"YoRHa cyborg, stand down! That's absurd!" shouted one of the soldiers.

"Believe me I know it sounds really crazy, but please believe me!" 

"Step aside, or be subjugated with them," the Commander said through gritted teeth, "I've had enough of your nonsense!"

"Wait!" shouted a voice, it was 9S. He and the other two were back. "Commander, it's in the range of the possibility that those two are Lars from two different timelines! After all, if they  _were_ deserters, you would have heard of it. To top it all off, there are no models ever made like them!"

"What are you implying 9S?"

"I'm  _saying_ that, these guys are innocent and the possibility remains that they are speaking the truth."

The Commander looked pretty pissed off that she was being proved wrong again and finally spoke, "Swords down!" she shouted, "You two. Tell me who you are."

"I am Caim, in my timeline, you guys developed a portal to send me back. It was wrong and I was sent to a whole different universe, without any of my comrades. The portal was closed and I lost all contact with YoRHa, I was basically stranded."

"What was this 'other world' like?"

"It had magic and dragons, among demons and other creatures."

"Commander, he is definitely insane, plus he can't be a future version of the cyborg! Look at his arm!" shouted 27D.

"Yeah, remember magic?" Caim raised is arm, "Magic was what healed my arm!"

"Please, continue." Commander said.

"My name is Lawsh. Unlike Caim, I never found my way through a portal. In my timeline, everything went according to plan and YoRHa was destroyed and I lost all my comrades. There I was, the last living human, cursed to roam the Earth forever. Let's look at that, 'last human' you know something about that don't you Commander?" he teased.

"What?" hissed the Commander she looked at the androids. Fantically she shouted, "Leave us!" she told the rest of the androids around. Her secret was about to be let out.

"Comman-"

"I said LEAVE!" she shouted.

All of the androids left the plaza and the four of them walked into a building. "How. Much. Do you know?" she asked her voice full of anger.

"I know everything." said Lawsh.

"Ready for a shocker?" Caim asked Lars. In response he nodded.

"I know that humans are gone. They were never on the moon, they were extinct before you YoRHa androids were even made."

"And you know this how?"

"After YoRHa ended, I tried going back up into space to the humans. I got a flight unit and customized it. When I managed to fly up, I scaled the entire Moon, there was no city, no nothing. I realized that I was truly alone now. YoRHa was made just to keep the lie going, you knew. Nines knew," a tear went down his left eye, "I spent the next few years uncovering painful truths I wish I hadn't seen. The bunker was made to self-destruct after a given amount of time, you androids were  _made_ to die. 2B kept having to kill Nines every time he learned the truth..." He wiped the tear and glared at the Commander, "All under YOUR orders!"

"It's true humans are gone, but I did not know about the bunker. How much time do we have?"

"Not long, but that's why Caim and I are here. We have to help prevent everything that happens, we've already done Caim's part. You now will never develop the portal and now all we have left is the bunker. We have some serious reprogramming to do. Once that happens, both Caim and my timelines will be erased. Caim's is already happening." 

Caim looked at his hand, sand was lifting off his hand, "We need to get started as soon as possible, we've already lost valuable time. Here's the plan, you're going to keep this a secret from everyone else in YoRHa, after we're done with the bunker, we need to help Lars Prime regain his memories. Finally, you need to go with him back to his world."

"And why is that?"

"You android's main function is to protect humans, Lars'  _actual_ world is in shabbers as we are speaking. They need YoRHa to take the reigns and help the world back on it's feet."

"Very well. If you both are being honest, then I have no choice but to put my faith in you. I hope I am not wrong," she looked at Lars, "That's two times I have put my faith in you now, and please. Get dressed. Being shirtless at night will get you sick, and you'll be a liability on the battlefield." she began walking towards the door, "I will call the androids off." and she left

"What did you mean, mankind is in shabbers?" 

"It's too hard to explain now, but you know the plan right?"

"Yeah, I got that part down." Lars wanted to know something else, "Also, what about humanity being gone?"

"It all happened a very long time ago, I will explain in full detail later." Lawsh responded, he then looked at Caim, "This is it," Lawsh said, "This is it, Caim. We're about to fix everything."

"Yeah, we-" he was cut off when a loud explosion could be heard. The three got outside and saw three giants in the distance, they all turned their heads over to the resistance camp and began walking towards them. 

"Lawsh!" Anemone shouted, "It's goliath class enemies!"

"I know!" he drew his swords, "I'll destroy one, Caim."

"What's up?"

"You take another one, Lars, have YoRHa and the resistance give you cover. Use your smash cannon on full power, it's activated by your voice!" he told running off to face the giants at supersonic speeds.

"Lars!" it was 9S, "We're going to destroy that thing! How's your back?"

"I'm fine, listen you guys provide cover from your flight units. I'm going to need you guys to guide it here! I'll use my smash cannon to destroy it."

"What about the last one?" he asked.

"Caim will take care of that one." a loud roar could be heard as a red dragon was descending. 9S and all of the other androids looked shocked, as Caim mounted his dragon, he looked more weirded out than the androids did.

"What are you all waiting for? GO!" he shouted as his dragon took flight. As many flight units appeared, 9S went to tell 2B the plan. 2B then informed the captain and she nodded, they all got into their flight units. All but A2. She walked over to Lars.

"What's the plan?" she asked.

"I need to get to a high point, that building looks good," he pointed to a twenty story building, "But there are no elevators and the stairs would take too long!" he looked off into the distance, he saw a dragon shooting fire at a giant machine, and a ton of flight units shooting at the other one. The other one was being torn to shreds. "We don't have much time and I need to get up top."

"Done! Anemone! Make sure you guys stay quiet." Anemone nodded and signaled for the resistance to hide. A2 picked Lars up and held him in her arms and began running towards the building, she began scaling the building by running up the entire wall, she then proceeded to toss Lars to the top when she was close enough. Lars landed with a soft thud. And A2 jumped up from the edge, landing in an awesome pose. As Las looked onward to see that one giant had fell down, most of it's limbs were gone and it was missing several parts. Another was being blown to pieces and a severed arm was being held by a giant magic arm, that proceeded to beat the machine down. It was Caim using his magic. One last giant remained. And Lars needed to get it over here.

"Nines! I'm ready over here!" he shouted into his comms.

"Roger that, which building are you on?"

"The twenty story one. Move out of the way when I say so!"

"Roger!" the flight units began shooting and moving away from the giant, forcing it to follow it. They fired several missiles at it as well. As it drew closer, Lars raised his arm and the light began to shine. It walked closer and even caught sight of Lars and A2. Closer, just a bit more. It was literally now just several feet away from them. 

"NOW!" The flight units got out of the range of fire.

"SMASH CANNON! FULL POWER!" there was a flash.

A giant beam of energy shot out of Lars' arm. It was beginning to send him back, almost off the building. A2 stopped this luckily, she put her hands on Lars' back and stopped him from going any further. As the blast continued, more and more chunks of the giant was being blown off. A2 was struggling to keep holding, her legs were digging into the pavement below, just a bit more! The giant finally fell back, it's systems fried and it began exploding, it was far too close though, both Lars and A2 would be caught in the explosion, and the flight units wouldn't make it in time. Lars raised his arms in defense but instead of being annihilated, the explosion did not touch them. A2 opened her eyes and saw that they were in a force-field being generated by the arm. Lars looked around and laughed that they had lived. "Nice work. That's two times you saved me." said A2.

The building was charred and completely black. But they survived. Caim flew by to pick them up. Lars felt exhausted and they flew back to the camp, when the got back, the resistance androids were there to greet them and the flight units came back. "That was amazing!" he heard one shout, Lars was now hardly awake, he needed sleep the most. The smash cannon had taken so much out of him, before he knew it, he collapsed out of exhaustion.

 

Birds chirped, androids talked, the wind blew. It was distant but it was there. Lars opened his eyes up, he was in a room, and to see 9S leaning over him. "Nines?" muttered he.

"Morning. We have food, and here are your new clothes." 9S gave Lars a new coat and the same right glove.

"New?" Lars looked at the coat, "What about my old coat?"

"It was too damaged, Devola and Popola made it. Try it on."

Lars put on the new coat. It was like a long coat, the front was the same as his old coat, the gold YoRHa patterning was still at the bottom, five buttons still on each side, the left sleeve missing, but the longer parts on the back was something to awe at. They were black, yet shined, YoRHa patterning was on the bottom, the YoRHa symbol was on the back, and the long coat itself was open. It could not be closed up. 

"Thanks. I must speak with Caim and Lawsh."

"They're outside, I think they're talking with Anemone."

"Alright, thanks. I'll see you later."

Outside, the resistance androids were moving cargo around, and a few more androids from YoRHa were now staying at the camp. Including those three from before. They gave Lars a glare, and Lars responded with his own glare. A red dragon was sleeping on top of a broken down building. He saw Caim and Lars, talking with Anemone. Lars walked over to them and they looked at him. "How're you feeling?" asked Caim.

"I feel refreshed. Is it about time you guys told me your stories?"

"I suppose that you are long over due for an explanation, Anemone, excuse us," Lawsh began walking away, "Follow us." The three of them walked into a secure space and Lars took a deep breath.

"Remember how I said you were Lars Prime?" asked Lawsh, Lars just nodded, "You are also known as Zero Lars. The place we're are from is the Zero universe. I am Zero Vega, and Caim is Zero Altair. There are several other universes, all of them with us in them, just different versions of us. The words "Zero" and "Prime" mean that you are the first Lars to come to be. All the other universes are basically branches, it's the same with the timelines. Now for our stories."

"I'll go first." Caim said, "My story starts off just like yours, Lars. I wake up on a building, grab a sword, meet A2, lose my arm all that. However, when we went to investigate and instead were met by Adam, we won that one. It wasn't long after, that YoRHa created a portal. I was contacted and went up to the Bunker, however something went wrong." Caim slumped his head and looked back up, "The portal was defective, it sent me to a complete different world, it was much like the Zero universe, but it was in the past. It was the year 1097. All contact was cut from YoRHa and that portal closed off the moment I was in that world. I wandered aimlessly, fighting out of rage. I had nothing to fight for, until I decided to fight for justice that never even existed. I would be a hero who fought for justice, it's bullshit but it was something to fight for. Six years later, when I turned twenty, I was badly injured, I encountered a dragon, the one you see outside. She was also dying, so I made a pact. The price was my cybernetic arm. Later on, I managed to use magic to heal, learned magic, and eventually I wondered how this all came to be. Using magic, I looked to the past, this was wrong. It was through this that I found out about all the universes and timelines. You still need to get the happy ending, so I enlisted the help of Lawsh and I traveled here. As of now, I am twenty-one."

"Wow, that was... Long. But, what is Zero Earth like?" Lars asked.

"I will explain it after I tell  _my_ story. It began like yours. Except I did not meet A2, I encountered YoRHa after some time living on my own. I put up a fight against 2B and 9S, you know how that fight goes," he lifted his arm, "Anyway, I received my arm not long after that, the fight happened against those three androids and eventually I won. It wasn't long after that, we went to the ship with the resistance. Like Caim's timeline, I won. The portal was developed but I didn't go through. I was overcome by rage and revenge because Adam and Eve took my memories. At one point, 2B, Nines, and I went to the 'Forest Kingdom', it was there that I first met A2. We had a fight, and she said something that chilled me down to my bones, 'Command is the one who betrayed you' were her words. I found myself thinking about that a lot, but there was no time to dwell. So eventually, we killed both Adam and Eve, YoRHa launched an all-out attack on Earth to finally crush the machines and end the war." Lawsh went silent and looked down.

"What happened then?" Asked Lars.

"All YoRHa units were infected by a virus. The team I was with all the sudden began attacking me, I managed to fight them off, but I heard a black box explosion. I realized, that was wear 2B and 9S were, and I feared the worst. I was sent a rendezvous location from 2B and headed there immediately. While I was getting there, I looked up into the air, and saw that the Bunker had exploded. YoRHa was finished, but I kept going. I got there eventually and saw 2B coming, but something was wrong, she could barely walk and was struggling to even fight. When infected YoRHa units arrived, she tried fighting, I began assisting, and A2 turned up. It horrified me to see that 2B was infected by the virus, she told A2 and I to protect the future, and everything, along with Nines' smile. A2 took 2B's sword and killed her with it. It got even worse that 9S had shown up, only to see 2B die right in front of him. It pained me so much to see him scream. Out of pain? Out of anger? I assumed he fell to his death when the tower arose and the bridge he was on collapsed. I waited for two weeks for A2 to wake up. She was distant at first, over time she became my friend, and I hers. When she heard 9S was still alive, she told me to follow him. So I did. This would prove to only be the most painful moments for me though. I followed him to a place called the, 'Soul Box'. In there I watched him stab the core, screaming about his memories, how something was... stealing them. I was even connected into hacking space by something, and I saw him stabbing 2B. I disconnected immediately after seeing that. The worst part is, he began chuckling, laughing in fact. He had gone insane, the 9S I knew was gone."

"What happened next?"

"I was alone after that for a while, when I heard that 9S was finally going into the tower, I went. When I got there, I met up with A2. We encountered Devola and Popola at the entrance. They had sacrificed themselves for 9S. We entered and fought wave after wave of enemies. A2 was put into hacking space, that is where I encountered the red girls, the machine network itself. A2 managed to defeat them and we went into a library, it's there I learned the truth. 2B wasn't ever really 2B." Lars gasped, he heard this from A2, "She was 2E, an executioner. Made to kill 9S over and over and over again. We were then attacked by a giant machine, we fought it eventually making it to the top. There was 9S, he had completely gone insane and was infected. He also knew the truth, this tower we were in was a cannon to destroy the humans on the moon, and I was going to fight, but A2 told me to stay out of it. So I did. The fight was chaotic, I couldn't do anything but watch, I saw A2 about to cut 9S down, but she hesitated, I drew my sword and jumped toward them, but I was too late. 9S stabbed A2 right through her stomach area. He was victorious and began laughing, I don't know what got into me, but I stabbed him right where he stabbed my A2. I watched in horror as he scrambled around, in his own blood. Crying. I could do nothing but just kneel there, I had nothing left. A2 was dead. And I couldn't save even one of my friends, not even 9S. I took 2B's sword and tried to cut my neck." Lawsh looked up, showing the scar on his throat, "I stopped halfway. All my friends died to horribly, who was I to end my life so cheaply? I began to weep but I heard 9S say one last thing, I could not hear, but a giant ark was shot out, and it went to space. The tower began to collapse and it was falling apart, I knew the only way to honor my friends was to stay alive for them. I took Cruel Oath and Virtuous Contract and left. A month passed by and I was making modifications to my arm, I left that area a while ago, I tried looking for the humans, but they were not there. One day, I looked up to see the pods flying over to a building, so I climbed up. What I saw overjoyed me. The pods were repairing 2B and 9S, I could even see A2 up in a window sill. I asked the pods the estimated time for their awakening. They told me about thirty years. So I programmed a location into Pod-042. When the androids awoke, they could find me there. I soon left after that, twenty-six years had passed, I managed to find everything. YoRHa was made to be destroyed. The Bunker would self destruct and all the androids were infected, as planned. It drove me to insanity, so I wandered even more unstable. When I met Caim, I was confused, he cured my insanity and he showed me that you can't end up like us, you need the happy ending. So I left that world behind after leaving a letter, for the three to read when they wake up. Now I am here."

"Geez, that was even longer." said Lars, "But you guys still haven't answered my question about why the humans are gone."

"Allow me," said Caim, "While I was in this time, I found several documents about a 'giant'. Using my magic, I looked into the past of this world. It was the year 1099. The watchers, giant infant looking beasts, and their queen attacked humanity. A lone man named 'Caim' fought the watcher queen through a portal in time into 2003 Shinjuku, Japan. He and his dragon defeated it, but were then shot down by Japanese planes. He died there. As the giant watcher corpse disintegrated, a disease known as 'white-chlorination syndrome' spread. It infected people who either turned into salt and died or turned into monsters known as 'the legion'. Eventually Shinjuku was nuked, but it spread the disease globally. 'Project Gestalt' was created to wait out the pandemic. The gestalt is a human soul, and 'replicants' were bodies made from gestalt data. They were to fight the legion, androids were also constructed to lead. The Devola and Popola models." Lars was confused, "Devola and Popola are from ancient times Lars, but if you want  details, you must ask them yourself. Replicants began leaving because they developed their own personalities and the project fell to ruin, the gestalts went mad, turning into shades. Eventually the replicant of Nier killed his gestalt, the Shadow lord, dooming both to extinction. Along the way, androids were built and the lie was spread that humans were on the moon. That all brings us to today.

"But, why the name?"

"It turns out that the Caim guy I spoke of, is that universe's version of you. That's why I took his name."

The door opened up and there stood 2B, "Command has ordered us to go on a mission," she said towards Lars, she then looked at Caim and Lawsh, "You two are going with the Commander, she needs you two to help her."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Commander is putting her faith into Lars, Caim, and Lawsh because they are humans, the one race they are to serve and they might leak the secret she holds so dear. And yes, there is a dragon, Caim's pact price was his mechanical arm, which he later replaced with an actual arm via magic. She looks like Angelus from Drakengard. And Lars wears an open long coat, basically.


	7. Beauty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mission is simple, find the missing YoRHa and Resistance androids, instead they are met with something more disturbing Lars could ever imagine. Up in he Bunker, Lawsh begins finishing up his work. Time is short for Caim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Retcon: Caim and Lawsh are not going with them, I updated the last chapter, enjoy.

The four of them walked outside, the Commander could be seen standing near the shuttle, waiting or Caim and Lawsh. She caught sight of them, "Caim, Lawsh. You both are coming with me," she leaned in to whisper to Lawsh, "How do you plan to do all this?"

"Simple, it's just reprogramming. I've one part you won't like."

The Commander sighed, "Just say it now."

"I must sever all YoRHa androids from the network."

"What?"

"In my timeline, YoRHa was infected by a logic virus, wiping it out because you were all synced up with the network." The Commander looked rather worried now, "Fear not," Lawsh reassured her, "Caim has worked to make a new network, you will be safe from the virus and you can still upload your data to a new body when you die. However, I cannot ensure that all memories can be restored after upload, this is a prototype network. You'll need the data collected from your comrades to achieve all memories."

"Judging from your explanation, it's better than being infected, but  _how_ has he done this?"

"Magic, remember?" Caim asked, he then looked at his dragon, "You need to stay here."

"I am not to go with you?" asked the dragon, in the voice of an old woman.

"No. You stay here and await my return."

"Hmmph. Humans."

"Hmmph. Dragons." retorted Caim. 

As they boarded the shuttle, Lawsh looked at Lars one last time. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but he did not. He merely boarded the shuttle and saluted a "good luck" sign to Lars. He just waved and turned to his three comrades, "Ready to go?" asked 9S.

"You bet. But first, hang on."

Lars ran over to Devola and Popola. They checked him out and smiled, "Not bad, not bad at all. I think it looks good on you." said Devola.

"Yeah, thank you for the coat. It's comfortable and looks awesome." 

"We're glad you think so. Anemone wanted you to have this." said Popola, she handed Lars a holster and a pistol, it was sleek and was a gun-metal gray color, along with a few magazines. "It was one of her favorites, she felt as if she owed you. It's a bit modified so don't go shooting randomly. Now, don't keep your friends waiting, go." she smiled.

Lars attached the holster to the right side of his hip, and put the gun into it. Putting the magazines into the compartment underneath the gun itself, he ran to catch up with the others, he looked back to wave one last time, the twins waved back. As the four set off, we now lay our scene to the bunker. The shuttle entered the hanger, the androids all exited. "I have not been in the Bunker in ages." said Caim.

"Neither have I." retorted Lawsh, "Alright, down to business. Caim, can you disconnect everyone?"

"Sure can." he put his hands together and a ball of white light formed between his hands. As he began chanting something, streaks of light began going in all directions, thousands of them. Some of the YoRHa androids looked confused as the light entered them, some of them let out a few shouts. The Commander even fell off guard as she grunted slightly. Yet, many streaks went down to Earth. All of them split up and began entering all of the YoRHa troops on Earth. They were all shocked, even 2B and 9S.

"What the hell was that?" asked 9S, "I feel... strange." his voice echoed off of the sewer walls. Pod-153 all of the sudden got a call from the bunker, the holographic screen came up and Lawsh was on it.

"Caim has disconnected all of you. Phase two finished."

"Disconnected?" asked a worried 2B.

"I'll explain later. Let's keep going for now." Lars said.

Back up at the bunker everyone calmed themselves. Caim fell to his knees. "It is done. You are all now part of a new network and disconnected from the old one." he panted, "N-need rest." he muttered.

"You may sleep in the cyborg's room. It  _was_ once yours according to you."

"Th-thank you Commander, Lawsh... You... take care of the rest." he wheezed, 19H came to help him walk. As he began hobbling, more sand began to drift off of him. "Fuck." he whispered, "We should hurry."

"Right. Rest, Caim. Now for my part, I need to rewrite the Bunker's programs, where can I find the core?"

"Get to the middle floor, the room labeled, 'core' will be your entrance. It can only have maintenance performed by hacking. How will you get to it?"

Lawsh raised up his left arm, "My arm has been modified enough. It can hack."

"One last thing, how do you know it's in the core? Our scanners would have seen that." 

"Yes, they would. But they would not dare look into it. Your programming will prohibit you from doing so, I am human however so I can do it. Is this the main Bunker?"

"It is."

"Good, then I can also rewrite the others from here."

*Transition back to Earth*

The four began climbing out of the sewer onto land. As Lars saw a giant castle with a heart in the castle. A rail road circled around the castle and a collapsed Ferris Wheel could be seen. They began advancing but as they began running, they were greeted my machines. Not trying to kill them however, they were dressed as jesters and were throwing confetti everywhere and walking around spinning. "Let's have fun together!" they shouted, a taller one wearing a top hat and had an arm cannon shot balloons into the air.

"Play! Play! Play!" the kept shouting. They kept this up until 2B, 9S, and A2 lunged forward and began cutting down all of them, they all tried in vain to fight back, but were mercilessly cut down by the androids, one machine began charging towards Lars. He drew his sword and pulled the trigger, his blade glowed a brilliant blue and he sliced the machine in half easily. As they kept advancing, Lars could not help but feel a bit bad. These machines were just having some fun. As they made it up a stair well, they looked over at a building.

"We're getting Resistance signals from that building over there." said 9S.

"We need a way through." responded 2B.

"Let's look around for a route we can take."

2B and 9S began jumping in the ride that was in front of them, Lars and A2 followed, As they made unreal jumps Lars realized... he can't jump  _that_ high. "Hey, A2?"

"Hmm?"

"Could you, um... help me get over? I can't jump as high as you guys."

"Get on then." Lars got on her back and she began jumping. When they got over to the other side they were greeted by a lone machine. 

"Dangerous beyond there! Broken!" it shouted, "Junk! Danger!" it kept shouting. The four ignored this and kept going through, on a roof top, a tank could be seen.

"Let's dance! Let's dance!"

"Let's Play! Let's Play!"

"Play! Play! Let's Play!"

"Let's sing! Let's sing!"

As they jumped down, 9S spoke up, "These machines are heavily armed. We'll regret it later if we let it escape, so let's take 'em out!"

2B drew her swords and began attacking, the others did the same. It began shooting at them, swinging it's front wheels down, drifting and trying to hit them. The pods began shooting a flurry of bullets at the tank. As they kept slashing, Lars saw that it was distracted, so jumped on the top and cut off all the heads of the machines with one swipe. He cut a circle in the top and jumped in, ripping it apart from the inside. As he jumped out, it stopped and then exploded. Something lay on the floor.

"What's this? Some kind of crystal?" asked 2B.

"Analysis: It is a core fragment of a machine life form. It is similar in structure to a plant cell." responded Pod-042

"A plant cell?"

The four made their way up a stair case, and a coaster came.

"What's this?" asked A2.

"Analysis: It is a device that propels humans on rails at high speeds for the purpose of amusement. It was commonly referred to as a , 'roller coaster'."

"Humans sure are strange creatures." said 9S.

As the coaster picked up speed, Lars had to kneel and hold on for dear life. He could not stay on like his android friends. The coaster went up and then down at really high speeds, Lars literally had to dig his left arm into the metal to stay on. He could not use his sword in this state, so he drew his gun. Machines began attacking them, flying ones. As 2B, 9S, A2, slashed, Lars fired at them. The recoil was pretty strong, but with precision, he shot the machines down with shot each. "Hey,2B?" asked 9S.

"Yes?"

"People who know me well usually call me 'Nines,' so..."

"Oh."

"So, what do you think?"

"Of?"

"I mean, if you want to call me Nines, it's totally okay."

"I'm good." she said it in a really cold way, but also kind of rushed.

"Oof." grunted A2.

"Ouch." Lars said.

"Oh. Um... all right."

9S stayed silent after that. And Lars felt kind of bad for him, and judging from A2's face, she kind of felt bad for him too. AS they circled around one last time, they reached their destination. The four jumped down. "Alert: multiple Resistance members detected beneath this room." They kept walking won and eventually jumped, Pod-153 helped Lars down though. As they landed, it was empty. A large buzzing could be heard and curtains opened up. Behind the curtains stood a large machine, it was decorated with android corpses, much like the one Lars first saw. It sickened him to his stomach as it turned around and began singing, but it sounded more like screaming.

"What the hell?" asked Lars.

"Our records don't say anything about a machine like this!" exclaimed 9S.

"Who cares? Let's tear this old hag to pieces!" shouted A2, she lunged forward drawing her large sword and began attacking this... this... abomination. It began shooting energy, anything it could do to kill all of them in a brutal manner, it shot out some kind of homing beams at Lars, he tried evading, but they kept following him. He then activated his force field and blocked all of the beams. It chuckled and fired lazer beams across the floor. When that stopped, it began shooting missiles. A2 jumped everywhere and began cutting the missiles out of the air with her swords. It began laughing and danced around the floor, using cutters on the bottom of it's dress.

Even with his speed, Lars was beginning to have trouble. But if his friends could do it, so could he. As they kept attacking, it flew back to the stage. And it sent out a wave, Lars threw his arms up in defense, but nothing happened. His friends just stood there, as if they were paralyzed. "BITCH!!" Lars screamed, he lunged forward and cut of a piece of the machine's crown, but he aimed to cut the head off, he jumped off a wall back to his friends who were awake, and the machine just hunched over.

"It's trying to hack us!" shouted 9S, "If we take hacking damage, it'll affect our bodies as well!"

"I'll make sure you guys won't be attacked from the outside when you're being hacked!" Lars shouted.

2B panted, "2B!" shouted 9S running up to her, Lars and A2 joined. She nodded in a way saying that she was okay.

Clicking and whirring could be heard and the four took a step back. "Beautiful... Beautiful!" it shouted, "I MUST BE BEAUTIFUL!!!!!" it raised it's arms and clusters of metal chunks could be heard dropping. Android bodies were on each and every single one of them, as if they were crucified.

"Those look like... Corpses!" exclaimed 9S. All of them raised their blades, the bodies' eyes flashed red. And the curtains closed.

"Are we seriously being attacked with dead androids?" asked A2.

"Wait, I don't think... I'm detecting black box signals! They aren't dead... they've been turned into weapons!"

"Alright, this ends now!" shouted 2B. AS they all attacked, rings of energy were being sent out from these bodies. The androids stood still like before.

"Fuck! They're being hacked!" Lars shouted, but he was not, "Alright then. In that case!" he raised up his arm and fired his smash cannon and guiding it in a circular manner, destroying most of the ones up top, now a few more remained. Lars felt a bit tired, but fought it off. The androids re-awoke and A2 smirked a bit.

"Nice job." she said. But as they kept fighting, the machine came out of the curtains. 

"I'm going to try to hack it back! Keep it busy!" commanded 9S.

"You got it." responded 2B.

*Transition to Bunker*

Lawsh panted and he breathed. His left arm was sparking and smoking. "So... you really have a tough defense system." he said to the core. "Fuck! This is the ninety-third time I've tried! You are starting to PISS ME OFF!" he took a deep breath, realizing he looked stupid taking to an inanimate object and tried again. As he touched the core, he was taken into hacking space. "Let's do this..." as the defenses began shooting at him, he evaded and shot back. He was shot twice, one more and he'd have to do this all over again. A cylinder with three dots surrounding it could be seen, he fired at it and the remaining defenses were taken down. The core now exposed, he shot at it and destroyed it. "YES! FUCKING FINALLY!" he saw all the system's settings. He saw the files needed and terminated the systems for the self-destruct, it was done, at last.

As he left hacking space he came back into reality he looked at his smoking, sparking, twitching, left arm, and then his right hand. Sand was beginning to drift off of it slowly. His work had been complete, now to inform the Commander. As he walked back out however, 27D was there, pointing her lance at the Commander. 61B and 37B lay on the ground motionless, and the Commander was standing there, holding her arm. Her white uniform was stained with red blood.

"What's going on?" asked Lawsh.

"27D appears to not like what Caim did, consider her a YoRHa deserter and kill her! That's an order!" barked the Commander

Lawsh then went ahead and charged but then for him, everything stopped. 27D stood there, trying to ram her lance into him, but she was frozen, so was the Commander. Lawsh smirked and walked right up to 27D. "I've always never liked you." he said. He then proceeded to cut 27D's head right off. But she and her head was stuck in place. Time went back to normal and from what the Commander saw, Lawsh walked and the next thing she knew, 27D's head was rolling on the ground.

"What did you do? That was instantaneous!"

"My arm upgrade includes time-manipulation. It's handy but I do not find myself using it that much."

"Good to know. I thank you for saving me, now I need you to upload their backup data, I must get this wound treated." and she walked off.

"At once." Lawsh missed having orders.

*Transition to Earth*

The machine's fabric was now missing. It was screaming it's head off and kept jumping everywhere. The metal dress was up and some kind of mouth was underneath it. The abomination continued to attack and they could only keep dodging 2B now had several cuts, A2 was tired, 9S could hardly stand, and Lars' left arm was missing. 2B held her head for a bit then let go. She looked up, "Pod!"

"Affirmative." it opened up to reveal two cannons.

"GO!"

Dual beams wee shot from the pod and as it hit the machine, it screamed in agony. It then exploded and the four covered as pieces flew everywhere. The smoke cleared and the smoldering remains were all that was left of that thing. "Thanks for the assist." 2B said to 9S.

"Oh, you mean the hacking? No worries. Us scanners are pretty good at that kind of thing. I've got your back anytime."

"You did good out there." A2 said to Lars.

"Yeah, thanks." he held out his right fist. A2 looked confused, "Bump your fist against mine."

A2 did that and successfully did the fist-bump with Lars and he also did it with 9S. 2B ran over to the androids on the ground. As Pod-153 applied staunching gel to Lars' stump he followed. "We have to save these androids." said 2B.

"I'm sorry 2B, their circuits are fried. I think they were only being kept alive by that enemy." 9S said grimly.

"We should contact the resistance, tell 'em the news." A2 said.

"Let's get back then." 9S said. They left the amusement park soon after that and requested a shuttle come to their location.

As they waited, 9S spoke, "So um..."

"What is it?" asked 2B

"That machine had some pretty weird things to say, huh? It's almost like it had actual emotion-"

"The machines don't have feelings. You said that yourself."

"Yeah, I... I guess."

As they waited, Lars spotted some sort of light going into space. "What's that?" he pointed.

"Oh, right. You wouldn't have seen that before. They're sending supplies up from Earth to the moon and the Bunker. There are no spare parts of fuel in space, after all."

"Huh. Makes sense."

They stood around a bit more and finally, a shuttle came to pick them up. As they boarded, Lars looked at the amusement park one last time. He realized just how disturbing that thing was to him. It  _did_ bite his arm off, after all. While they flew back to the resistance camp, they got a call. The screen popped up and the Commander was on it. "This is a message to all YoRHa units, do not be alarmed by what happened earlier. The individual known as 'Caim' was merely connecting all of us to a new network. That is all, resume your missions."

"So  _that_ was what it was?" asked 9S.

"Apparently so." A2 responded.

"Why not you then?"

"I disconnected myself a long time ago. Even if I were connected, I doubt that command would make more of my model. Dying would be permanent for me." 

Eventually they flew back to the camp. They were greeted by a medical team, immediately taking Lars and bringing him to the med-bay for repairs on his arm. Lawsh and Caim came back down not long after they got back. They went to greet Lars. As Lars was getting a new arm attached, he greeted them as well. "Hey guys. Did you guys do it?"

"Yeah, we did." Lawsh said, "We'll be going soon."

"Going? Going where?"

"Our timelines have been destroyed, we're slowly being erased."

"Th-there has to be another way!" Lars shifted.

"Hold still!" shouted the medic.

"Listen, this was bound to happen. Don't think we're done with you though, I still plan to help you improve for your next fight with Adam and Eve."

"They're still alive? I thought you destroyed them."

"I did, but death has no meaning for them. As long as they're connected to their network, they can always move into other bodies. For some reason, they haven't shown themselves. But we shouldn't worry about that."

Lars just stared back. "Finished." the medic said, Lars looked at his arm. It was the same as before, he flicked his wrist and the hidden blade showed itself, it gleamed in the sunset, and he put it away. The ring remained on his palm and back of his hand, symbolizing his smash cannon and force field. But where were the switches? "This new arm is an improved version of your old one. It should connect with your nerves better and your other abilities are activated by your mind." the medic said.

"Thank you." Lars told her as she walked away.

"Get some rest, some food, some water. Meet us tomorrow outside of the camp." Caim said, he and Lawsh began walking away. 

Popola then came up to him. "Come with us, you need accommodations." she had a nice tone to her voice, so mellow, so soft. As Lars followed her to a building, she opened up the door and went up the stairs. Lars followed her and she let him into a room. It was completely cleaned and had a bed, bathroom, and even a table for dining. A bare bookshelf decorated the room, it had some kind of black cube. "You have electricity and complete running water, good night." she said, she threw him a key and he caught it.

"Thank you, for everything." 

"Don't mention it. Caim and Lawsh did tell us to look out for you. So I wouldn't worry if I were you, good night, Lars."

"Right, thank you again."

She left the room and Lars was feeling exhausted, he took a shower. And after drying his hair, he first ate the food that was bough to him, and finally went to bed to end this day. "Caim and Lawsh, they're going to die?" he thought, "What should I do?" he sighed, "I just have to power through." 

With that final thought, he finally went to sleep. 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Lars' new gun, look at the art of Anemone and search the one with her holding a pistol.


	8. Power

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Lars begins improvement to himself, he learns the truth about the world he is from. Hearing this, a seed of doubt would be planted in his mind weather he really wants to go back. An attack is started, and Adam and Eve have finally shown themselves again.

A bird could be heard chirping, Lars' eyes fluttered awake, he was wearing nothing but his pants. He looked at his body, he had never really looked at it, but he came to realize that he was incredibly ripped for someone as young as him. His clothes make him look a bit skinny, but he was really buff. As he looked at himself, he heard someone walking to his door. "Hello?" it was Popola.

"Yes? Coming." Lars opened the door. And Popola stood there with a plate of food. "I have some food for you, Lawsh and Caim are waiting for you, so don't take too long." Lars took the food.

"Thanks." he said with a smile.

He first washed up and then ate it. It was so much better than the food he had in the Bunker. As he got dressed, he looked out his window, he saw Lawsh speaking with 9S. He could not hear but he saw Lawsh put his shoulder and talk to him. 9S appeared to be down, was Caim giving 9S advice? As he got fully dressed, he got his gun and his sword. He got out of the building and could finally hear Lawsh. "Listen, 2B was always icy and cold to you. But, just keep her close, she does have feelings for you. She'll show 'em in time, don't let her turning down your nickname get you down, Nines. Alright?" 

"Yeah, thanks." 9S wiped his tears and put his blindfold back on. And then walked off, but not before saying "hello" to Lars. 

"Were you giving him advice?" asked Lars.

"I was, he told me what happened yesterday. His nickname and what not."

"Oh, that."

"Anyway, ready to go? Caim is waiting outside."

Lars nodded and they were leaving the resistance camp. They walked not too far, in fact it was just at the river a few steps away. Caim was already there, "Four-thousand and sixty two!" he lifted and swung his sword down again, his armor was off and so was his entire torso's clothing. Like Lars, he was buff, "Four-thousand and sixty three!"

"Jesus, how long has he been at it?"

"About six hours now. Caim!"

"Ah, I didn't notice you guys. You should say something. Ready to begin?"

"So, what am I doing?"

"Remember martial arts?" asked Caim, he wiped some sweat off of his forehead. "You haven't been doing it so much lately. So we are going to help you remember more of it. If you thought thundering palm was powerful, wait 'till you see iron cutting leg."

"Iron cutting leg?" asked Lars, it sounded familiar.

"To demonstrate, I need metal. So perhaps I can show you later. For now, let us begin."

First off, Lars had to run around the field for an hour straight, he was told to remove his coat, so he could have more ventilation, he saw that Lawsh did the same thing, their body structures were nearly identical, both of them just being taller and a bit bigger than Lars. After that, they began strength training. He was required to do one-hundred push-ups with one hand, one-hundred core exercises, and plank for five whole minutes. After he was done with that, they finally began teaching him movements and how to do them properly. As they trained for the next two hours, twenty feet away in a few bushes, three female resistance members were spying on them, all of them blushing madly.

"They're  _so_ freakin' hot!" one whisper shouted.

"I know right! I think I like the oldest one the most!"

"Quiet down, they'll hear us!"

"Yeah, but I can't help it. Just their muscles ripple and shine in the sun. I think I like the youngest. He's soooo adorable!"

"But Devola and Popola are probably after him, damn them."

Back over on the guy's side of things, Caim and Lawsh were now teaching Lars about his ears. "Your ears are the most important things for you. More so than your eyes. Do you know why?" Caim asked.

"If my vision gets restricted or something, I'll need to hear all that around me."

"Right you are, especially when you don't want androids watching you train!" he shouted.

"Crap, he knows! Let's get outta here!" the three androids jumped out of a bush and begin running, "We're sorry!" he heard one shout.

Lars only let his jaw drop. He felt violated for some way. "Creepy right? I'm twenty-four, Lawsh is forty, and you're fourteen." said Caim, looking back.

"Wait what?"

"Yup, you're only fourteen. Anyway, let's keep going. Put this on." he threw Lars some kind of cloth.

"What's this?"

"A blindfold, you're going to test your hearing." Lawsh said. As Caim and Lawsh got in their fighting stances, Lars put the blindfold on. He could see nothing now, but he opened his ears. Lawsh was charging from his right, he was throwing a chop to his neck, Lars was quick to react, so he parried the blow and swept him off his feet. He could hear Caim coming from above, he rolled away only to stand back up and get kicked from behind by Lawsh. Caim could be heard charging from ahead, but if he tried to block, Lawsh would just hit him again. So he ducked and Lawsh and Caim's fists collided. The rolled and charged forward, he slid, attempting to kick them, but they jumped so Lars quickly got back up and kicked behind him, he hit Caim and kicked him back.

He heard the thundering palm coming and managed to elbow Lawsh in the face, he quickly grunted then threw a punch at Lars, he responded by parrying his blow and punching him in the chest, sending him back. Caim could be heard from behind and Lars' mind created a mental image, he kicked back and Caim jumped over his kick, Caim then slammed his leg on Lars' back doing an axe-kick. Lars picked himself up and heard Lawsh straight ahead, with no time to react, he only tried to block. Lawsh drop-kicked him sending Lars to the ground. "Alright, that's good." Lars took of his blind fold.

He was hurting all over though, but he saw that he winded Lawsh and managed to tire out Caim. "How'd I do?"

"Not bad. Not bad at all. Looks like we picked up an audience." Caim and Lars looked around to see several resistance androids and some YoRHa androids including his team watching. They began clapping and cheering, for it  _was_ a jolly good show indeed. 

"Ignore them, you still need to work on your ears. Let's go again."

Lars continued to lose several more times, but each time he fared a bit better. Eventually, he managed to beat Caim and Lawsh. "Great job." Lawsh huffed, as he got back up from the floor. Lars was covered in bruises and cuts. He took a deep breath. The sun was beginning to set. And the three got dressed again back in their cloths after drying off all their sweat. "You completed  much of your improvement in just a day, that's quite impressive."

"That should be expected from someone who completed YoRHa training in sixteen hours." Caim said, "Anyway I'm going to hit the showers. You both coming?"

"Yeah, a shower would do us good." As they walked back to the camp, so did the resistance and YoRHa androids. After their shower it was full nighttime now. Resistance members cheered at them when they walked by.

"I still have something to ask." Lars said.

"Hmm?" 

"What was our world like."

Lawsh and Caim both went silent, then Caim said in a grim voice, "I think it's time we told you."

"Our Earth is Earth Zero. But you knew that didn't you?" Lars nodded, "Our world is strange, humans started out as little spores, over time they evolved. Humans are in ways the most advanced species to be born on the Earth, but also the most primitive. They fight, are petty and all foolish things."

"War," Caim said, "First it was World-War I, the 'Great-War', it was called that because it was supposed to be the war to end all wars, several countries were involved and over seventeen-million people died. Twenty years of uneasy peace and World-War II came along. This time, claiming over sixty-five million lives."

"Part of it was because of the nuclear bombs dropped. Two, only two nukes were needed to spread a message like this, humans had to change. So because of the destruction, humanity stopped. Yet, they still fought, along the way, guns were even considered obsolete, being replaced with bladed weapons and close combat tools. Magic had once showed it self once again. Magical cannons, creatures, weapons of mass destruction. As humanity's arsenal grew, so did danger levels." Lawsh stated, looking quite grim.

"Eventually, World-War III happened. It all started when a nation known as 'North Korea' was exposed that they were opening portals and bringing various monsters into the world. Our allies wanted to wait and see what that nation's intentions were. However, our nation was being ruled by an idiot and he wanted to fight immediately. We had a chance to negotiate but we didn't. Worst part was that our allies had no choice but to also fight, it was a full scale war now. I'm not going to bother explaining how the fighting happened, all you need to is that three-billion people died as a result. Both soldiers and civilians." 

"Get some rest, you're going to need it, training resumes tomorrow." Lawsh said, "Good night."

As they parted ways, Lars returned to his room. " _Should I really go home?_ _"_ he thought, "Dammit," he said out loud, "I mean, if my world has so much hate and people like those rulers, would it really be smart to go back?" As Lars began getting absorbed in his thoughts, he grew more curious. He did not ask about his parents, perhaps tomorrow. He finally settled in and decided to go to sleep. In another building, Caim punched a wall.

"God dammit! I could tell by the look on his face!" 

"What do you mean?" asked his dragon.

"What if we planted a seed of doubt in his mind? What if he  _doesn't_ want to go back now?"

Lawsh stayed silent. But finally spoke up, "Maybe he doesn't. Maybe he does. All we can do is hope he does."

"And if he does not?" asked the red dragon.

"Then all is lost. But it is not, I believe in him. He's  _us,_ remember Caim? If we're anything, it's stubborn."

"I hope you're right." Caim said as he climbed into his hammock. His dragon was also going to sleep. As Lawsh climbed into his cot, he looked at his hand and at Caim and the dragon. Sand was drifting off all of them.

"Hope..." Lawsh whispered as he fell asleep.

 

Lars' eyes fluttered awake. He got up from his bed and looked out the window. The courtyard was busy as always, and 2B, 9S, and A2 could be seen heading out. Lars showered, got dressed, brushed and waited for his food. After a three minute wait, a knock could be heard, and Popola walked in with a plate. "Here you go, Lars. Tell me if anything goes wrong, okay?"

"Right, thanks." as Popola walked out. After Lars finished he walked to the same place where they trained yesterday. He removed his coat and gear, and began warming up. Caim and Lawsh could be no where to be found. Lars began growing suspicious, as he warmed up, someone could be heard running from behind. Lars quickly flipped up and blocked a blow from Lawsh. Caim could be heard from the side and Lars managed to evade.

"You managed to stop us. Good job." 

"Shall we begin?"

"We shall. This is your last few lessons, well done. It would usually take a YoRHa android a couple of weeks to fully master this fighting style."

"I suppose, it's all coming back to me." Lars smirked.

"Of course, this kind of training never goes away, even if you lose your memories." Caim said, removing his torso clothing.

The day went on like the last. Lars trained relentlessly, working on his feet, kicks, and sense of touch. It was considerably easier than the last, but dear god, it was tiring. As the day went by, Lars got stronger and stronger, and more skilled. Again, there was an audience made by the resistance. But the three hiding in the bush were not present. After thirteen hours, they stopped. "It's time for the last test, you are going to fight both of us."

"I can do that." Lars said, readying his fighting stance, his legs in a half-horse stance, his right hand in a fist and near his chest, and his left arm heading down, a half opened hand. Caim spared no time charging forward, Lars used his elbow to hit him down and kicked Lawsh into the air with his knee. Using his other leg, he roundhouse kicked Lawsh in the air. He then deflected a blow from Caim, and using his speed, hit him into the air. Lars then jumped and axe-kicked Caim back into the ground. Lawsh got back up and slammed his leg into Lars' face. He then stumbled and wiped some blood off his face. They both rushed forward and connected blows, Lars dodged Lawsh's fist and punched him in the gut, sending him sliding back into the ground. He did it, he had won.

The both of them got back up coughing. "You did it, your training is complete." Lawsh smiled.

"Thanks." Lars said panting.

"And if I'm correct, the resistance should be doing something special tonight."

"What is it?"

"That's a surprise."

That night, the resistance bought out several microphones and several disks. "What's going on?" asked Lars.

"Every now and then, the resistance likes to relax, what better way to do it than singing and listening to music. It's all from the old world though, but that's fine." Anemone smiled.

As night fell, the music rised. Resistance androids sang many songs, Devola and Popola did a duet, Anemone did a song called "Lonely Soldier", A2 did a song called, "Dead or Alive", much to his surprise 9S and 2B even went up to sing. His song was called, "Innocent Trap". 2B went up to sing a song, it was called "Kienai Niji" or rather "Unerasable Rainbow" Finally it was the human's turn to sing something. Lawsh and Caim did a duet called, "Action-Zero". When it was Lars' turn, he looked at the selection, he did a song called "Spinnin-Around". It had a lot of guitar in it and sounded like a song for a psychopath. 

When Lars finally finished, everyone cheered and the night was over. As the resistance began putting everything away, Lars walked over to Lawsh and Caim. "I forgot to ask, what's our family like, who were they?"

Caim and Lawsh both looked at each other and they shrugged, "Alright, but you're in for a pretty harsh truth, can you handle it?"

"I can."

"Let's start off with our mother," Caim said, "Her name was 'Rachel Alexandersson' but it's pronounced 'Alexandershon'. The three of us are of Swedish descent. She was a very kind hearted woman, to her we and our father were her most important people. She was a soldier in World War III, and she unfortunately was one of the casualties." A tear went down Caim's face.

"Our father was Lucas Murasaki. He was mostly Swedish but had both Chinese and Japanese blood in him. He also was the one who trained us in the fighting style we use. After mother died, he hung himself. Leaving us to fend for ourselves." Lawsh looked at Lars, "I know, that you should be feeling sad. But you're not, you have no connection."

Lawsh was correct. How could he feel sad? His memories of them were gone so he had no feelings. "In time, I'll regain my memories. No matter how painful, I'll withstand them."

"That's the spirit, now go get so-" Caim was cut off when two machines landed almost on them, but the three evaded. Lars was horrified to see that it was Adam and Eve standing there. Many other androids arrived on the scene, all of them armed.

"Hello, androids." Adam chuckled, "Long time no see." He then proceeded to look straight at Lars, Caim, and Lawsh. "Humans..." he smiled.

A2, 2B, and 9S ran to where the humans were, and they all drew their weapons. "It's so like you, Lawsh. Always ready to fight. Your heart, filled with nothing but rage."

"Fuck off." 

"Such a foul mouth, LET ME HELP YOU CLEAN IT!" Adam lunged forward and tackled Lawsh into a building. The resistance androids began firing at Eve, who raised his energy shield and began killing resistance androids. Lawsh kicked Adam off of him, and got back up and charged forward, as they fought, Caim jumped onto his dragon to fight Eve. 

"Fall back! You resistance androids don't need to die today!" his dragon shouted, the resistance androids began falling back.

"2B, 9S! You two go help Lawsh, we can take Eve." Caim commanded.

2B and 9S acknowledged and went to help Lawsh fight. "Alright Angelus! This is our last fight, let's make it worth it!" and they flew in. A2 began slashing at Eve and Lars did the same with his sword, Lars pulled the trigger and he cut right through the force-field. He extended his arm-blade and began charging. Eve did the same and was met by A2 kicking him to the ground. As Caim was going in, Eve fired a blast of energy, knocking Caim and Angelus out of the air. As they crashed into the ground, Caim got back up and Angelus roared.

Over on Lawsh's side of things, 2B and 9S were kicked aside and Lawsh was picked up and kicked several times, but he kicked Adam into the ground before he could be kicked into the ground. "I've gotten stronger you see." Adam showed.

Lawsh attempted to use his time manipulation but when he got behind Adam, he merely turned around and punched Lawsh. "Ah ah ah. Even your pathetic time manipulation cannot help you."

"Dammit." Lawsh thought, he reached into his cloak an took out  a black mask. It could cover his entire face and was a glossy black. "Seems you are leaving me no choice. 2B! If I go too out of control, rip the mask off if you have to!" Lawsh then put the mask on and a powering up sound could be heard, green rhombus eyes could be seen on the mask lighting up.

"As if hiding your face wi-" Adam was cut short by Lawsh stabbing him through the abdomen area two times with both of his blades. "What?" Lawsh did not answer, just heavy breathing could be heard as he kept charging with unparalleled speed.

"Whoa!" 9S exclaimed, "How is he doing that?" Lawsh was now countering every attack that Adam threw at him, and was responding with his fists and his wits. Using his left arm, he tore off Adam's right arm. Adam shrieked in pain and lept back. Lawsh was going to follow but something went wrong. The green eyes had shut off, being replaced by a deep crimson. Lawsh screamed in agony and rage and began using savage movements.

Caim and the other three heard this, Eve was injured and Adam joined him they all looked at Lawsh's direction. He looked like a wild animal and as he was leaping forward on all fours, everyone came to realize that he was not targeting Adam and Eve, but everyone else. "I told him not to use it!" shouted Caim, "9S! Hack the mask!"

"Right!" 9S put his arms up and as the light shined, Lawsh stopped in his tracks and 2B ripped the mask right off Lawsh's bloodied face. "2B, I-" 9S began but he was cut off when Eve grabbed him.

"I got him! Let's go!" 

"2B!" 9S screamed.

"NOOOO!" Lars shouted.

"9S!" screamed 2B trying to grab him, but it was too late, Adam and Eve had disappeared. 2B sank to her knees "No..." she whispered.

Caim helped Lawsh up and looked at Angelus. She was disintegrating. "Our time is up already?" he asked.

"It appears so."

"What's going on?" asked A2.

As more and more sand began drifting off the both of them they just looked at each other, "Lars, listen very carefully. You must go home no matter what. You are Lars Prime, it has to be this way, no matter how painful or how hard, you can always find a way."

"B-but I need you two to help me!" 

"No, you don't. Keep your friends close, and go rescue 9S. Take my sword." Caim said, he handed over his scabbard and sword to Lars, "Now, I'll always be with you. Use my magic, too." Caim held out his hand and a light could be seen drifting over to Lars, it then entered him and Lars felt strange.

"Take the mask, and my time manipulation." Lawsh handed his mask over and took out a small piece of his arm. Giving them to Lars he had one final thing to say, "Remember, you must be strong. Your training has been completed. You mustn't let all we've done be in vain, now go!" 

"WAIT!" Lars screamed and as he reached out to grab them, they disappeared. That was it, they were gone forever. Lars looked at the sword, mask, and the fragment. "They're gone..." Lars said. "A2, they're gone. They're dead!"

A2 did not respond, she just looked at Lars. She then wrapped her arms around him as a sign of comfort. She stroked his hair and then after five seconds, she pulled away and looked him straight in the eye. "Tell me, do you honor them?"

"Y-yeah."

"Then, you should honor their last request Lars, don't you remember what it was?"

Lars wiped his tears away, and stood up with A2, "Yeah, I remember."

"Then tell me, what was it?"

"I'm gonna rescue Nines, and go home, no matter what!"

"That's it! And is anything going to stop you?!"

"FUCK NO!"

Lars then walked over to 2B, still on her knees. "We're going."

2B did not respond, she just slowly looked at Lars, "Dammit 2B! Now isn't the time to be moping around!" Lars grabbed her dress collar, "IF YOU REALLY CARED ABOUT NINES, YOU WOULDN'T BE KNEELING HERE CRYING YOUR EYES OUT! SO ARE YOU WITH ME?"

2B just pushed Lars off and got back up. She grabbed her swords and put them on her back, "If you're going to be like that, then at least get your own gear on you before hand, get that time manipulator installed and put that scabbard somewhere on your body."

 

"GAAAAH!" screamed 9S as another pike was put into his arm. 

"Hmm... Do you feel like starting a conversation now 9S? Or do I need to go  _deeper_?" 

"G-go. Fuck. Yourself." 9S whispered weakly.

"You see, I'm not physically able to do so. Unlike you androids, I don't have synthetic reproductive organs." 

Another pike formed into his hand as he stabbed 9S again. 9S screamed again. "P-please! Stop! I'm begging you!"

"Will you talk then?"

"Y-yes. Please, just stop!" cried 9S.

"Very well then, let us start."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you read the Drag-on Dragoon manga, then Lars, Lawsh, and Caim have similar body structures to Caim in the manga.  
> And the songs mentioned are real, search 'em up, they are in Japanese but they still sound awesome. I watch a fuck ton of tokusatsu. For Spinnin Around, Make sure you put "Kamen Rider" in the search bar.


	9. Copied City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the three go and search for 9S, more and more is revealed about what 9S really knows. Will the others make it in time?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty shitty at this.  
> The part where Adam mocks 9S is inspired by ninathepink's little comic check it out, it's pretty good.  
> https://ninathepink.tumblr.com/post/159550799003/part-onepart-one-here-part-two-here-part-three

A large bang could be heard. 2B stabbed a machine right through the core. "Area clear." her pod stated. As Lars looked around, there were no more machines around anymore. It had been four hours. And yet, still they've found nothing. As they continued on, Lars needed to take a break. They stopped near a building and Lars ate and drank a bit, then got back up.

"This sword is pretty heavy." Lars held the hilt of the sword and the scabbard on the back of his hip, in the same style as Caim had it, he also looked at the mask on the right side of his hip.

"I know, you want to use it. But remember what it did with Lawsh? Use it for emergencies only." A2 warned.

"I hardly even know what it does and is. All I got was a vague description."

Before they set out, Lars was getting the time manipulation installed, "Okay, it should be ready." 19H said, she eyed the mask, "Don't know where you got that, care to explain?"

"Lawsh gave it to me."

"Alright, it's a device that enhances speed and strength, your spine should help synchronize. But I'd still be careful." said 19H.

Back in real time 2B cut into their conversation, "Cut the chatter, and proceed."

 

9S woke up, "I-I'm in hacking space? Why?" as 9S looked around, he could hear Adam.

"We machines have evolved. We made war, we learned, and thus, we gained sentience. No, we have gained a new existence, beyond sentience."

"Shut it! Your nothing but machines!"

"And yet, you androids claim to live? Heh heh heh, you are mere  _puppets_." 

"You're wrong! We're not just puppets!" 

"But, the true essence of life is... hatred... You know it's a fact."

9S gritted his teeth, "I can see it, darkness has taken root, and you struggle to hide it!"

"SHUT IT, YOU'RE WRONG! ABOUT ME! ABOUT US!"

"All who live are slaves to desire! DO you honestly think you're different? HA! Don't make me laugh! You've lost all hope, you trust nothing, and yet you want to destroy everything!"

"S-stop!"

"You want to obtain it all don't you? You want to be  _loved,_ by all, but especially by her!"

An image of 2B popped into 9S' mind, "N-no! STOP!"

Then, it was as if Adam was right there with him, "You're thinking how much you want to **** 2B aren't you?"

"Stop! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! You're wrong dammit!"

"HA! You think you can lie to me boy? I can see it, the desire in your heart!"

"S-stop! I-" a stabbing pain could be felt. 9S screamed in agony.

"I believe it's time to wake up, hatred grows within you. But if it wants to bloom, pain _must_ be used." he chuckled a bit, "The all consuming pain, exquisite is it not? I will enjoy this even more."

9S reawakened to another pike being put right through his body, 9S screamed again but nothing could be done, Adam kept laughing and 9S was falling into despair. Adam decided to leave for a bit, and covered him up. In the darkness, 9S began to weep "2B, h-help me... please! SOMEONE! ANYONE!" but he was confined in this dark area, and he feared, this may be forever.

 

Five more hours had passed, and still no luck with finding 9S. 2B began getting angrier and angrier, as Lars cut a machine open with his over-sized sword, he too was becoming desperate and frustrated. "YoRHa Unit 9S, black box confirmed." Pod-042 said.

"Where?" asked 2B frantically.

"Several feet underground, near the alien ship. Proposal: Contact Command and await reinforcements." 

"No time, we're going." 2B said.

As they made their way down the sink hole, they landed in the water from before. "2B, look." A2 pointed at an entrance, "That's worth taking a shot." As they entered, light could be seen. When they went deeper, they were greeted by crucified androids and machines holding torches. 2B and A2 wasted no time in attacking them, destroying more and more of them by the second. One targeted Lars and began charging toward him, what seemed like pure instinct taking over him, he put his right arm out in front of him and a fire ball shot out, hitting the machine and destroying it. But it did not feel like instinct, it was more like something took over him. Someone or something was there to guide him.

But Lars had no time to dwell on these thoughts, he quickly drew his sword and destroyed another machine, and another, and another. Finally through time, no more machines remained. So the three advanced. They followed Pod-042's directions until they've reached an elevator. "Alert: possible enemy ambush ahead." warned Pod-042.

2B looked at her pod, "Don't care," she responded, "She then looked at Lars and A2, "Are you both ready?"

"Ready." Lars said.

A2 did nothing but nod. 2B pressed the switch and the elevator opened up, Lars didn't know if they could make it through this, but to hell with it. They were going to find 9S, and they were going to bring him home. As they descended deeper and deeper, Lars looked at the mask that Lawsh had once donned. It called to him, it was as if it was alive, had a personality, one that would rewrite Lars'. Finally, the elevator stopped and they stepped out, and they were in a city, except it was entirely white.

"What in the? What is this place?" asked Lars.

"Analysis: This area is composed of crystallized silicon and carbon.Further details unknown." responded Pod-042.

"Who built it?" asked A2.

"Unknown."

As they ran, they could see that the floor was littered with dead android bodies, Lars recognized one of them. 61B. She was long dead. As they continued more and more bodies lay dead on the white floor. Finally, they reached a large area. A courtyard it looked like. As they drew their swords, the blocks on the ground began moving forward and their exit was closed off. The ones moving forward formed a pyramid and when they dispersed, Adam stood there.

"Welcome... to my beloved city." he said, as he bowed. "I-or we machine lifeforms, I suppose- have a keen interest in humanity. Love, family, religion, war." 2B attempted to slash him, but he teleported out of the way, "The more human records I unearth, the more I am charmed by their complexity."Lars threw a fireball at him, again he teleported. "This city, is one of many areas I created to understand- to know- humans. It's grand, don't you think? Almost... spiritual. And yet, it's currently nothing more than an android graveyard!" he spat. The more he talked, the more Lars got pissed off. He lunged forward at A2 and she blocked a kick from him.

"I seek to learn and adopt all facets of humanity!" he shouted. He threw some blocks at 2B, which she cut in half. "Some desired love! Others family! Only then did I realize the truth..." Lars used his cloaking and got behind him, he bought his sword up and then down, but Adam quickly evaded the sword. "The core of humanity... is conflict. They fight! Steal! Kill! THIS is humanity at it's purest from!"

"Shut the FUCK up! What the hell do you know about humans?!" Lars spat.

"Have I offended you? Did I speak ill of your kind? The truth can be so painful." he threw several chunks at Lars, one cut right across his cheek, making it bleed. But this was a minor inconvenience. "I strive to to attain nothing less then the essence of humanity itself." he laughed, "We machines exist in a connected network. We are immortal. Invincible. And yet. Within all those infinite bits of data, there exists not even the merest flicker of being. Of life."

"Because you machines aren't alive!" Lars spat, his movements were getting slower, he was too angry and not to mention, Caim's sword is pretty heavy.

"Death- even the concept of death, has no meaning to us." Adam caused an explosion and teleported. He reappeared near the clock tower. "Thus... I decided... that I shall risk my life in battle." As the little blocks floated around him, the three readied their fighting positions and surrounded him, Lars at the front, 2B on the left, A2 on the right. The blocks stopped, and fell to the ground. "I have severed my connection to the network. Now, let us embrace death!" 

Adam smashed his fist into the ground and pillars of energy began shooting up from the ground. 2B and A2 evaded and Lars raised his force field. He had to get in close, so he began running toward Adam. But, his attack was cut off when Adam did a spin kick, Lars countered with his own leg. A loud impact could be heard and Adam kicked upward, Lars jumped back before Adam could kick him again. Pod-042 fired a giant lazer at Adam and he appeared to explode, but when the smoke cleared, his field was up and he was unscathed. A2 began slashing him, but her cuts seemed to have no effect. So she used her larger blade, and it knocked Adam right off of his feet.

2B then rushed forward and began cutting away at him, he managed to force 2B to evade by trying to kick her. Pod-042 kept shooting a flurry of bullets and Lars threw another fireball. Again, Adam was unharmed and 2B was getting angrier. "I don't have time for you..." she slashed at him again, but he just evaded, "I need... to find 9S!"

"Ah, 9S..." Lars charged forth and slapped Adam with the flat side of his blade. He grunted and got back up, "Oh, I do enjoy this..." he began floating up and as he did, chunk's of the clock tower began falling, and it revealed an impaled 9S. Lars looked in horror to see his friend in this state, he wanted to scream, or vomit. Either one was fine. 

"9S!" 2B screamed. 9S just groaned weakly.

"I prepared this just for you." Adam said holding 9S' chin as he whimpered, he then turned his head sharply towards him, "I mean, after all... We all need something to fight for, don't we?" he caressed 9S head with his other hand.

"You son of a... I'LL KILL YOU!!" 2B screamed, she growled like an animal.

"You fucker, I'LL RIP YOU TO SHREDS!!" Lars screamed at the same time.

*Begin playing end of the unknown now, the extended version*

"YES! That's it! That's the feeling! PURE HATE! HA HA HA HA!" Adam flew down and landed.

"Now, LET US BEGIN! 2B! LARS!"

Adam lept forward and began kicking at all three of them. 2B and A2 evaded but Lars was punched into the air. "This won't work a second time!" Yelled Lars, he then axe kicked Adam back into the ground before he could get kicked. Lars attempted to impale him, but he rolled away and got back up. A2 and 2B appeared from behind and began simultaneous attacks, A2 with the Type-4O blade and sword, 2B with Virtuous Treaty and Contract. Lars needed more speed, so he used his time manipulation and his arm blade. But Adam merely saw this coming, for the time manipulation would not work on him. So when Lars tried to slash him, he hit his arm aside and broke the blade right off his arm.

Using the blade, he cut 2B right across the stomach area and she grunted.  He also knocked A2 and Lars back with a sweeping kick. "My, my, my, you seemed to want to kill me with that attack. If you kill me, you may not get your memories back. Did you know that?"

Lars just squeezed the hilt of Caim's sword and said the boldest thing he may have ever said, "You know what? I could give less than a shit about my memories! Most of them are pretty painful from what I've heard! So you can keep my fucking memories, because I've decided. I'm gonna make new memories with my comrades! My friends! So to put it simply, YOU CAN SHOVE 'EM UP RIGHT UP YOUR UGLY ASS!!" he even made a two-finger going up motion, and then proceeded to flip Adam off.

Adam did nothing but laugh and charge forward and knock Lars into a building, Lars looked back up and dodged Adam trying to stomp him into the ground. 2B got back up and stabbed Adam in the leg, "AGH!" he went, he then kicked 2B back, and pulled her sword out, and began wielding it. Lars rejoined 2B and gave her his YoRHa sword. Blows could be heard landing and A2 went flying back. She was heavily cut and was bleeding. 

"2B, you go get 9S! Me and A2 can fight Adam!"

2B nodded and charged forward, she used Lars' sword to deflect a swing from Adam. She managed to get past him, "Where do you think you're go-!" he turned around to almost be stabbed through the head by A2 and threw her aside. A2 got back up and wiped some ichor away from her mouth.

"Seems I have no choice." A2 began growling and shaking, red lightning seemed to be surrounding her, until finally a burst of red energy exploded and Lars covered his face. A2 was now covered in a red energy and she was faster, too. And stronger, she could keep up with Adam and even began taking more and more cuts. But Lars could see that it was hurting her, too. Lars looked at the mask. A2 was locked in position with Adam, he was trying to push 2B's sword onto her and she kept pushing back with her own sword. She looked over to Lars, "NO! You'll go berserk! Not even Lawsh could control himself!"

Lars ignored this and donned the mask. Two tendrils came out, not like before and dug into Lars' synthetic nape. As 2B was trying to free 9S, she could hear Lars' screams of pain. The green eyes flashed on and off, inside the mask, it felt as if the tendrils were going to make him burst open, but the pain finally stopped. Blue eyes replaced the once green ones.

"Trial system activated. Synchronization: 100%, Power levels: Nominal, All systems online. YoRHa Generation Zero Booster, at full power." Lars looked at the screen within the mask, he looked over at Adam and A2, both struggling. He charged forward and began cutting at Adam.

"Wha- Lars?" asked A2.

"I'm fine, I think the mask has something to do with my spine! In the meantime let's kill this bastard!" Lars and A2 both charged, one on each side. Both with unparalleled speed and strength. Adam attempted to block their slashes, but he could not. The slashes kept landing and Adam was bleeding like crazy. Blood splattered all over the floor and A2 knocked Virtuous Contract right out of Adam's hands, back on 2B's side of things, she managed to pull out the last pike and they both fell. But 2B landed on her feet, Pod-042 applied staunching gel.

"2-2B..." 9S looked at her, "Y-you guys came for me..."

2B shushed him and placed him down, "I'll be right back." 2B picked her sword up and charged to Adam, he looked behind him and did not have enough time to react. 2B impaled him right through the stomach area. He screamed in pain as A2 impaled him again from behind. 2B pushed her blade deeper in and Adam groaned some more.

"I-is this death?" 2B and A2 both bought their swords out. Adam fell to the ground, gasping, "So dark... So cold..." He stopped breathing. But that was not enough, Lars lept forward and threw the limp body into the air and annihilated it with his smash cannon. Panting Lars turned around.

"Nines!" he shouted. He was being held by 2B, Lars grabbed the mask and ripped it off, the tendrils came off, and Lars felt dazed but shook it off. 2B picked him up and cradled him in her arms.

Lars helped A2 walk over, for once he saw 2B smile, "Come on, let's go home." she said softly. 9S nodded weakly with a smile on his face.

And all together, they left that wretched city.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I'm using insert songs.


	10. Become As Gods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 9S must recover, Lars will need to train his magic, 2B and A2 accompany a machine named Pascal for a peace treaty, but one thing is for sure, you don't ever talk to a cult.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this world, 2B, A2, and 9S already knew who Pascal was.

It didn't take long for the four to get back to the base, they all needed repairs. A shuttle was called in, the Commander herself was there apparently. 9S was taken aboard the shuttle to go back to the Bunker for proper repairs. A2 and 2B needed to be patched up and Lars was examined, two holes now remained in his nape. While they sat at the med bay, the Commander walked over to them.

"Good job destroying that machine. Upon further analysis, we learned that the machine- code-named, 'Adam' was responsible for managing half of their network. A disruption of this magnitude to their network should weaken the machines significantly."

"What's going to happen to Nines?" asked Lars, he looked at his repaired arm and extended the blade, good as new, then sheathed it back into his arm.

"He'll undergo a full data overhaul up there. Assuming we don't encounter any problems, we're planning to partner him with you again, 2B."

"Thank you." said 2B.

"In the meantime, I have another mission for you two," she said this at 2B and A2, "I'll mail you the briefing, go ahead and take a look." she then looked at Lars, "Come with me. You have a different mission." she said.

She lead Lars away from the med-bay and into an alley. And she turned around. "Where did you receive that mask?"

"Lawsh gave it to me."

"I see, would you like to now what it is?"

"Sure, an explanation would be nice."

"It's called the 'YoRHa Generation Zero Booster' and as of right now, it's in early stages of development, it enhances speed, strength, agility, perception, and reflexes by several times and heightens reflexes and senses. It's also a long-range communications device, can work even when enemies are jamming the area, and it has a the equivalent to a pod's conscientious installed. It also identifies comrades and notifies the user when they are in combat. It's supposed to be for androids and yet you can some how use it so well."

"Well, not even Lawsh could control it, but somehow I could. Why?"

"Because, back up in his time in the Bunker, he gave me a full report. That first fight you had with Adam and Eve, you lost, he won. So he never had a cybernetic spine to help him. It was used in the full-scale invasion of his world. But he never really used it, only to kill the corrupted androids around him."

"So my spine is helping me control it?"

"Yes, your spine is connected to all your nerval systems and your brain, you will have full control of the mask. That would explain the holes in your neck."

"Are you still planning to start a full scale invasion though?"

"We are, now that we know that we are not going to be infected by a logic virus, now that we're part of a new network made by Caim."

"But, humans are gone. What will we do once the machines are dead? Won't the secret be leaked?"

"I plan to reveal the truth  _after_ we go to your world. Hopefully, not too many androids will go AWOL from the truth. We plan to take the resistance as well. For now, you should work on your magic, Caim gave this to me before he went back." She gave Lars some kind of book, "In here he told me that it was a tutorial to how to use your magic. That's all, I want you to train specifically in opening portals, we need a way to get you home and take us with you. 2B and A2 can take this mission. That's all for now." She began walking back to the shuttle and it took off after she got on.

Lars went out to the field Caim and Lawsh once trained him in and read the book. 

*Transition to 2B and A2*

"Analyze current trends among the machines? ...Huh. Something tells me this is going to involve a lot of killing." said 2B.

"We could ask Pascal." responded A2.

"You know him?"

"Yeah. I do."

"Hmm. I suppose he might know something. Pod." Pod-042 then bought up a screen with a strange looking machine on it.

"Oh, hello 2B. Hello A2. Do you need something?" asked the machine.

"We need to know if you've seen any new trends or behaviors among the machines." said 2B.

"New trends? Hmm... Well, two days ago, I was contacted by some machines that disconnected themselves from the network. They wanted to discuss a peace treaty."

"No kidding."

"Apparently, they're seeking to form an alliance of some kind with our village."

"If that's what they want, then why don't they move in?" asked A2.

"I believe they're working on building a colony of their own."

"You don't say."

"Indeed. Apparently it's located in the abandoned factory. I can give you both the coordinates if you like."

"Please." said 2B.

"I was actually planning to go speak with them myself, you know."

"Maybe we can meet up over there?"

"Sounds good." said A2.

"Target location obtained. Marking on map." said Pod-042.

"Let's go." said A2, 2B nodded and the both of them began heading toward the abandoned factory.

*Transition to Lars*

Lars sighed. "Alright, let's try this again." he said. He began doing combo slashes with Caim's blade, after the second strike, he pulled the sword's blade behind him and a sound similar to a chime could be heard as an orange light surrounded his blade and as he did a slash upward, he sent a wave of magical fire forth, incinerating a tree entirely, leaving no trace behind, just burnt ground. "I DID IT!" he screamed. Lars looked at the book that Caim left behind and saw that another spell had been checked. So far he now had mastered, Comet-Dance, Blazing-Fang, Seven-Flames, Recovery, and Crimson-Wings. "That's five mastered, nine more to go."

"That's neat, but what happens if you're in an enclosed area?" asked a female behind him. 

Lars swung his head around to see who it was, it was Devola, and her sister was coming.

"Oh... hey." Lars smiled. "I don't suppose you can help me out with this?"

"We can." said Popola.

"Wait, what?"

"Out model was built with the capability to use magic, but I think you can only do two of them."

"That's good enough for me." 

"Alright then, let's start." said Devola.

*Transition back to 2B and A2*

2B and A2 both made their way up the stairs and were greeted by Pascal at the top. "Oh! 2B! A2! Hello!" he said cheerfully, "Are you ready to go?" he walked up to them, "The machines who seek to form an alliance with my village are hiding out here. Still, we should probably be careful. We machines can be rather... unpredictable."

"Even you?" asked 2B.

"In truth, yes. Now that we're cut off from the network, we no longer share data with each other. We can speak, of course, but I find that language contains many ways to hide one's true intentions."

"It certainly does." 

As they entered through the doors, the three were met by several machines wearing some kind of robes. "You enter the domain of God!" the one down the walkway said. 

"God?" asked A2, "Is this some kind of religion?"

As they walked to the one who spoke, it spoke once again, "Down this corridor if you would." it said.

The three followed this machine to an elevator. The machine pressed the switch and the doors opened. They entered, the doors closed, and the elevator began descending.

"This all seems pretty shady if you ask me..." said Pascal.

"So why are you still here?" asked A2.

"Well I bought you this far didn't I? It's my duty to see this through to the end." 

"...Appreciated." said 2B.

Finally the elevator stopped and the doors opened up, they were greeted by multiple machines wearing the same robes and holding torches to dimly light the dark room. 

"The door leads to the sanctum of His Grace." said a "priest".

As they walked forward towards the door, they were bombarded by how these machines were "saved" by, "His Grace" all of that crap. When they entered through the doors, they were met with even  _more_ machines wearing robes and holding torches. And a single machine wearing a hat sitting on a throne who A2 and 2B assumed was their "high priest".

"Um, hello. My name is Pascal." they kept advancing, "I'm here to discuss the... peace treaty?" 

The one on the throne said nothing, all it  _did_ was begin falling forward. When it hit forty-five degrees, it's head fell off and hit the floor, then rolled around a bit. 2B and A2 looked at each other both incredibly confused.

"His wondrous Grace has become a god!" a machine shouted. 

"His Grace is a god!" all of them shouted, red replacing their once yellow eyes.

"His wondrous Grace has become a god!" They began walking in circles around the three.

"...become a god!" the rest shouted, 2B and A2 drew their weapons.

"His wondrous Grace has become a god!"

"...become a god!"

"We as well shall become as gods!"

"...become as gods!"

"All of you shall become as gods!" They were closing the exits.

"...become as gods!" The three were completely surrounded.

"All of you shall become as gods!"

"...become as gods!"

"WE'LL ALL DIE TOGETHER AND BECOME AS GODS!" they stopped.

"Damn it!" 2B said, the machines began attacking. 2B and A2 began cutting them down one by one.

"I was right, this IS shady!" Pascal said, "Fascinating though. I've never seen machine with such... unique perspectives. I wonder if there is a way to collect some samples and-"

"Less talk. More running!" shouted A2.

2B opened up the holographic screen on her pod. "2B to Bunker. We've had a run-in with hostile machines in the abandoned factory! We need an immediate escape route!" 

"Op... here. What... 2B?"

"Communications currently unstable." stated Pod-042.

"Then loop a distress single!" shouted A2.

"Affirmative."

*Transition to Lars*

"So, Dark-Lance is where I throw these magic lances and impale my enemies, and Dark-Hand is where I summon this giant black arm and just swing my arms and they'll follow?" asked Lars to Devola and Popola.

"That's right." said Popola smiling.

Lars began taking a bite out of a nutrition brick but heard a beep, "Alert: distress signal received." said a male's voice. Lars looked at his mask and took it, he put the mask to his face and looked at the notification. What he saw made him look in terror.

"What's wrong?" asked Devola.

"A2 and 2B are in danger! I must go help! Where's the factory?!"

"It's North-East of here!" shouted Popola.

"Thanks..." said Lars.

Before he could go, Devola put her hand on his shoulder, "Remember, Caim and Lawsh wanted you to have a happy ending. Caim gave us a job to ensure you didn't die, so don't. We'll be damned if we fail anyone else. Got it?" Lars said nothing, he smirked and nodded. Lars closed his eyes and concentrated. Crimson wings shot out of his back and he took off to the sky. Looking around, he saw the abandoned factory and began flying towards it. Lars put on the mask, once again the tendrils sank into his neck.

"Contact 2B..." he said.

*Transition*

2B and A2 breathed in the elevator, 2B had a few cuts and A2 was heavily bruised. The screen popped up from Pod-042 and 2B looked confused, "Who could be callin-"

"2B? A2? Can you both hear me?"

"Lars?" asked 2B.

"Alright, I know what's happening. What's your situation?"

"We're trapped in the abandoned factory."

"And we have a bunch of batch-shit crazy religious machines out to kill us!" added A2.

"And that." said 2B.

"Alright listen, I'm nearing the factory, once I'm there I'll try and rendezvous with you two. Lars out." the screen shut off.

"Who was that?" asked Pascal.

"An ally for now, you'll meet him lat-" the elevator stopped and the doors opened, there stood a lone machine. 2B put her sword in stabbing position.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! 2B!" it said, "It's me! 9S!"

"...9S!?" asked 2B.

"I hacked into this machine from the Bunker. I'm controlling it! I'm gonna break into the factory's systems and get you outta here! Don't do anything too reckless, 2B. We'll meet up later on."

"Appreciated."

Before the three could advance any further, one of the walls in the room busted open, and Lars tumble rolled in. The wings disappearing. "Wow! I don't think I'll ever get used to that." Lars saw Pascal and drew his sword, "Behind you!" he shouted.

Before he could decapitate Pascal, A2 blocked his sword with her Type-4O Blade. "And you thought the Resistance androids were jumpy." she said.

"Wha- A2, who is this?"

"Pascal, he's a friend."

"H-hello." said Pascal.

"But he's a machine!"

"Now isn't the time to argue. Lars, where did you come in?" asked 2B.  

"I came in through the top floor, but I don't think I remember the way back, this place is huge!"

"Damn, then we'll just have to rely on 9S."

"Nines? He's here?"

"Not entirely, no time to explain, let's go!" shouted 2B. They left the room and began running through the catwalks, machines could be seen coming their way.

"WE SHALL BECOME GODS!" Lars quickly performed Comet-Dance and he destroyed the both of those machines.

"You also shall become gods!"

"Everyone shall die and become gods!" they kept coming and Lars kept destroying them, he had no idea how long it was until they reached a place where these crushing things were coming down, they were dead if they got hit by one of those. Somehow, they made it through.

"You were right about these machines being bath-shit crazy, A2."

She did not respond, just smiled a bit.

 As they kept running Pod-042 opened up the screen, 9S was on it, "2B, keep going straight!" said he.

"Will do." 2B responded.

As they entered a room, two spider like machines dropped down from the ceiling, 2B, A2 and Lars drew their weapons and began to dispatch them quickly, "You interrupt us, go back to hell you hyenas!" shouted Lars, cutting through one's leg. A2 made the mistake of charging too fast and got hit by one of the legs. As she was knocked aside,2B cut the head of the machine clean off. The other machine opened up and fired a lazer, but before it could make a full circle, Lars jumped up and sent seven fireballs from his blade into the machine, annihilating it. "Let's go." he said.

He did not know how long they ran, but when they came across even more machines. The more that appeared, the more Lars cut down. "Hey, mask. Where's our exit?" asked Lars.

"Straight ahead." it responded, Lars looked up front to a circular kind of platform being held up by several chains, dangling over molten metal. As they charged forward, the catwalk in front began lifting into the air. Once again, their exit was blocked. Some kind of metallic crawling could be heard behind him, A2 looked behind her to see a round machine with four legs and two plates for arms. Pod-042 opened fire on the machine but all these bullets did was bounce off.

"Alert: Energy shield detected over enemy unit. Physical defense shield detected. Analysis: Both long- and close- range are ineffective." stated the pod.

Lars tried to do Comet-Dance on this behemoth but the fire just bounced off, "You gotta be kidding me!" shouted Lars.

"Oh, now what?" asked A2.

"Large energy supply detected within this factory. Proposal: Energy source should be destroyed." said Pod-042.

"9S?" asked 2B. "That goliath we just encountered-"

"I got it! I've been keeping an eye on you. I'm gonna shut off power to the factory now!" said 9S.

"Do it!" shouted Lars.

"Factory system at 80 percent! Hang in there!"

"I gotta buy time!" shouted Lars, he sheathed his sword and shot out his arms. Two black magical arms shot out of his back and grabbed onto the machine, pinning it in place.

"90 percent...92...95...98"

The machine began stomping on the floor, sending energy out everywhere, 2B and A2 dodged, leaving Lars to get hit by all of them. Blood began dripping out from underneath his mask. If that weren't enough, Lars began bleeding everywhere, his coat being torn and his mask even fell off onto the floor. The lights shut off, and the room was more less dark.

"2B! I just shut down the electrical grid!" shouted 9S.

But Lars could no longer fight, he fell to his knees as 2B began fighting. A2 ran over to him, "Don't worry about me..." he coughed, "Take the mask, you do what you did in the fight against Adam, give the mask to 2B." A2 nodded and picked up the mask. As 2B was knocked back, A2 caught her.

"Lars told me to give you this." said she.

2B looked at the blood-stained mask and took the device. As she put it on, four tendrils came out instead of two and sank into her nape. She felt the data streaming into her mind and even screamed a bit. The data was almost too much, even for her. But she managed to withstand it, and charged forth beginning to cut up the machine, A2 began shaking and growling, an abundance of red energy exploded everywhere and she was just as strong and fast as 2B. AS they kept slashing, Lars found the strength to stand again, he drew his sword and raised it. Magic dark lances formed in the air and he waited. 

A2 began using her large sword, but when she finally cut into the machine's eye, it shattered. But it had worked, the machine had sucked in all it's limbs and began rolling around as a ball. 2B and A2 both jumped around at hyper-sonic speeds and slashed right through the machine. Lars saw this as his opening and threw all lances at the machine, it was pinned to the wall and exploded. Lars nearly fell to his knees but this time, A2 was there to catch him. Pascal descended from the ceiling.

"Shall we go?" asked he.

2B nodded and they proceeded through the factory once again. As they made it though, more machines could be seen taking their own lives, claiming it was for god-hood. Someway, somehow, they all made it out of that wretched factory. And the sunlight rained down on all of them.  _So radiant, so warm._ Thought Lars, _Perhaps I can get some rest back at the Resistance_ _camp_.

"Well, THAT was certainly something." stated Pascal, "I had no idea such a vast space existed beneath the abandoned factory! I need to return and investigate as soon as possible. When I do, perhaps you'd all be willing to join me?"

"No thanks." the three said at the same time.

"We're going to head back to the Resistance camp. What about you?" asked 2B.

"Oh, I'll probably wander back to the village. I have plenty on my plate there." Pascal then flew off back to his village and Lars' hand hovered above his wounds, green light shined and faded and his wounds disappeared.

"That should hold." he mumbled, getting his mask back.

Suddenly, the screen on Pod-042 flashed open, it was static but if they look carefully, it was Anemone, and she sounded frantic. "This...Resistan...camp!"

"Say again Anemone? We're not receiving." said A2.

"Scanning for interference." said Pod-042.

"The...machines...! Requesting...backup...forces! Please..."

"Let's move!" shouted Lars.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still tryin' to improve I am.  
> Sorry for being late.


	11. Flowers For M[A]chines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is it, Eve is here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is basically the story's equivalent to the route A ending. I think you'll know what happens.

2B, A2, and Lars hurried back to the camp. Along the way, more and more machines who were passive before were now hostile, and there were more of them. They attempted to attack the three, but were all quickly dispatched. "Why are their numbers increasing like this?" asked Lars.

"Cause unknown." responded Pod-042.

"Try contacting the Bunker via laser relay system." said 2B.

"Affirmative."

As they drew closer to the resistance camp, smoke could now be seen and the three picked up the pace. " _Devola, Popola, please be alright_..." thought Lars, when they got to the entrance, multiple resistance androids frantically ran from the camp.

"Somebody help me!" one screamed.

"Get out of here, now!" another one shouted.

As they entered to the actual camp itself, machines were everywhere, android corpses littered the ground. Lars watched as machines knocked an android down on the ground, and began eating him. His screams began filling the air.

"They're... eating them?!" asked Lars, he took out the gun and began shooting at the machine, "You, FUCKING MACHINES!" he screamed. The bullets did no damage, but it got their attentions.

The machines all looked up from their dismembered prey and began moving towards Lars. He drew his sword and cleaved one in half and then the next and the next. 2B and A2 did the same and began cutting each and every single machine they saw down. As they finished with the machines in the courtyard, they went to the other area. Anemone was there watching in horror.

"2B!" she called.

"You okay?" asked 2B.

"They came out of nowhere. Overran the entire camp. We tried to fight back, but our shots have no effect!"

"Alert: Energy shields detected on multiple enemy fighters. Physical attacks recommended."

"Got it, you get the other androids out of here!" said 2B.

"Good luck!" responded Anemone.

2B and A2 went off to fight more machines but Lars stayed, "Where're Devola and Popola?!" he asked.

"Last time I saw them, they were near your room! There're other members held up there, too! Please, help them."

"Thanks." Lars gave Anemone his blade before going off, "You'll need this."

"What about you?" asked she.

Lars just extended his sonic blade. "I can work with this."

Anemone nodded and ran off to help the other androids escape. Lars looked at the building where they were supposedly located and began running to it. Machines blocked his path. "Get outta my way!" he shouted.

Activating his time manipulation, he cut right through all of them with his blade and continued. More machines were in the hallway, they banged on a door, trying to break it down. Lars jumped forward and bisected one, another one attempted to punch Lars, but he dodged it's fist and stabbed his blade into it's core. He opened up the door and saw some resistance androids inside.

"You're safe, go!"

"Thank you!" one said and the rest began running. 

Before the last one could leave, Lars grabbed her shoulder, "Where is Devola and Popola?"

"I saw 'em going up to help other androids!" 

Lars nodded as a quick thanks and let her go. As he made it up the stairs, Devola and Popola held a door that was on the verge of breaking. "Come one, Popola! We can't..." she grunted, "We can't let them through!"

"I know!" a large chunk of the door broke down, revealing the face of a machine.

The resistance androids in the room panicked, "We're going to die!" one screamed.

As they kept screaming, sounds of fighting could be heard right outside the room and the banging stopped. Devola and Popola stepped away from the door and it completely shattered. And Lars stepped right through. "Devola! Popola!" he shouted, he ran and hugged both of them, "Thank God you both are safe!"

"We're fine! But we have to get the others out of here!" shouted Popola.

"I just cleared the building, you guys go! I'll go meet up with 2B and A2!"

Devola nodded and she and her sister began helping the other androids out. Lars ran back to the courtyard to see 2B, A2, and Anemone. The sword he gave her was stained with machine oil. "2B, A2, Lars, you... you saved out lives." she stuttered.

"What's going on here?" asked 2B.

"I have no idea. They came out of nowhere and just-" she was interrupted by a large impact and shaking. As if something had fallen from space.

"What the-?" said Lars.

"That was outside the camp!" shouted Anemone.

2B and A2 made off and Lars began following but before he could get too far, he was stopped by Anemone's voice. "Wait!" she said. Lars turned around and saw that Anemone was holding out his sword. Lars took the blade once again.

"Thanks." he said and began catching up with the other two.

When they got outside, the ball-like machine from the factory was there again. "You again?" asked 2B.

As Pod-042 began shooting, Lars charged forward but when his leg entered the water he was zapped and sent back. "It's electrifying the water!" shouted A2. Lars got back up and tried to jump to attack, but it fired a laser into the air. He had no choice but to activate his force-field, and he was sent back again. Finally, it stopped zapping the water and they could get in close. A2 lunged forward and began cutting the machine. But it's sides opened up and it began firing missiles everywhere. A2 cut one in half but was sent flying by an explosion in front of her. 2B  jumped up into the air and attempted to stab the machine but she was grabbed by the tail of the machine.

Lars bought his sword's blade on the ground, and swung up. A giant fire ball skimming the ground went and hit the machine, causing it to let go. It looked at Lars, who was now running forward and he stabbed it. He was knocked back by one of the legs and his sword remained in the machine. As the three regrouped, it began shocking the water again. Pod-042 fired his laser but no effect. Lars then had an idea.

"I'm going to grab it again! I'll close it's electricity thing!" He shot out both his arms and grabbed hold of the machine, he then forcibly began pushing he top back in, shutting off the electricity. As he was doing this, it screamed, and machines began showing up.

"Alert: Local machine lifeforms are converging on the area." said Pod-042.

"This is never going to end..." said A2.

"Hypothesis: The Goliath-class enemy's scream has summoned the local machine lifeforms. Proposal: Destroy the Goliath."

It kept screaming and more machines kept showing up. Lars kept his grip and 2B and A2 kept attacking. A2 knocked Lars' sword right out of the machine's body, she grabbed hold of it and cut the tail right off. Lars finally released his grip, rejoining both of them. A2 handed his sword back and the machine retracted it's limbs, turning into a ball again. It began rolling and shooting everywhere. A2 and Lars both ran forward and slashed the machine, it screamed, calling more machines, 2B jumped forward to cut it but it sent a wave of electricity hitting all three of them.

As they began standing up again someone familiar shouted, "2B!" They all looked up into the air to see and an incoming flight unit. As it flew down, the cockpit opened up and 9S jumped right out. The flight unit crashed right into machine and as 9S was falling, Lars managed to jump to catch him, they both crashed onto the ground and 2B and A2 ran forward.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Good thing I... landed that direct... hit-" he panted as he and Lars were helped up.

They all looked toward the smoldering remains of the machine and watched as Eve stepped out of the top, "Uh oh." uttered 9S.

"You'll die..." he said, "All of you are GOING TO DIE!" he shouted. The remaining machines all began swarming him and it turned into this giant spinning ball made of made of machines.

"2B! A2! Lars! You all okay!?" 9S asked.

"We're fine..." responded Lars.

"Let's take this bastard down." said 2B.

"Right!" said 9S.

The swarm of machines began shooting energy and lasers everywhere. 2B and 9S started fighting. But Lars stopped A2, for he had an idea, "I'm going to use the smash cannon, you guys think you can cover me?" A2 ran to the both of them to tell the plan. They nodded and kept fighting, Lars began charging his cannon. The light shined to signify a full charge, "NOW!" he shouted, the three moved out of the way and Lars completely annihilated the entire swarm. As they thought it was over, the ground shook and another swarm of machines shot out of a building.

"They're still coming?" asked 9S. "What do we do? There's too many!" he said.

The screen on Pod-042 turned on, Pascal's voice could be heard. "2B. Can you hear me? Our village is under- Aaaaaah!" the screen shut off.

"Pascal! Come in Pascal!" shouted A2.

"Shit..." cursed 2B, "We're going to the village!" As they hurried to the village, machines got in their way.

"Damn it! They're here, too!" Lars shouted.

The screen popped up on Pod-153. "9S!" shouted Pascal, "It seems the machines on the network have gone berserk. We've sealed of the entrance to the village and are trying to hold them off but... with these weapons, there's only so much we can do..." 

"Let's take these guys out first." commanded 2B. 

The machines swung their axes and one tried to crush Lars, but he blocked the axe. Lars hit the axe into the air and bisected this machine. 2B held her other sword and began cutting up another machine. As 9S destroyed the last one, the worm-like swarm of machine parts attacked them. They kept fighting until all of the parts were blown away, leaving it's core. 2B and 9S attacked the machine core rapidly, but it was just picked up by another swarm of parts.  It began shooting lasers everywhere, "Get around me!" shouted Lars.

The other three did and he activated his force-field, protecting all of them from the laser. After the lasers shut off, he deactivated his force-field and held his sword in the air, dark lances began forming and he swung his sword forward, throwing all of the lances. It punctured the core and it exploded. The screen turned on once again, "You saved us! Oh, thank you so much..." he said.

"What happened here?" asked 2B.

"The machines on the network all went berserk at the same moment. I think the unit presiding over them may have gone mad." 

"It's Eve, it's got to be." said 9S.

"If we destroy this residing unit, will it stop the rest?" questioned she.

"Most likely, yes..."

"Lars, you think you can find him?" asked 2B.

Lars nodded and put his mask on. Inside he looked around and on his map, a little diamond was placed on his location, "Got him, sending you guys the data." They all got it and began running towards his location. "We'll take care of Eve." he said.

"You just worry about keeping the village safe, okay?" told 9S.

"Do be careful." warned Pascal before the screen shut off.

As they were running, Lars got an incoming transmission, he played it. "Brother... My brother... Brother... brother!" he sobbed.

"What the?" asked Lars.

"Looks like he's bombarding the area with forced connections... I think all these transmissions are making the machines go haywire. We have to get to Eve and destroy him!" said 9S.

"I'd like nothing more." as they kept making their way to his location Lars needed to say something, "Nines?"

"What's up?"

"It... it's good to have you back."

"Yeah, good to be back. But I have a question for you."

"What is it?"

"How do you plan on getting all of YoRHa and the Resistance back to your world?"

"What?"

"I know the plan, and I know that humanity, well you know."

"How did you-"

"Well, let's just say that when you guys were at the factory, I did more then just help you guys out."

Lars did not know what to say, but before he could they made it to their destination. "Looks like that'll have to wait." as they made it down the giant sink hole, the machines around them began screaming, "Now what?" asked Lars. As they looked around they saw Eve, sitting on to of a ruined building.

"Ah... And here you are." he said, he turned to look at them, the left half of his body was being covered in black. Lars could see a symbol he recognized on the left side of his chest. "I know you four feel the same. That this world... is utterly meaningless." machine parts floated p around his arms. Wind began to blow dust in a swirl, debris began moving and machine parts began moving along with them. "As far as I'm concerned, my brother... was everything..." the black began covering him whole, "And now... EVERYTHING MUST DIE!!" he screamed.

*Emil Despair*

"Why did you kill my brother!?" he screamed, punching down into the ground. The four evaded the blow and drew their weapons. He swung a giant arm around made of machine parts. "I... I...!"

"Y'know, if you love your brother so much, how about I help you both reunite!?" shouted Lars, he charged forward and tried to decapitate Eve. But before he could, he was sent backward by one of his arms. He then turned to punch A2, but she managed to dodge just in time. As she looked up Eve was bringing his arm down, but 2B and 9S blocked the blow. Both of them began running around Eve, and their pods began shooting at him. Eve only laughed and swung his arms in a swirl motion, hitting both 9S and 2B.

Lars jumped up and sent seven flames at Eve, they all exploded around him and as the smoke cleared, his charred face came out. He began screaming and huge chunks of the ground flew up into the air. Eve jumped onto a particularity large one and chucked machine parts at them. 2B began jumping up the platforms but was quickly knocked back down. Eve attempted to crush them with another giant arm but it was caught by Lars' dark arm. "Get back down here, boy!" he shouted as he pulled Eve right off the platform and slammed him into the ground. 

All of them began attacking at once but Eve ignored the androids and went straight for Lars, "Human!!!!" he screamed, he punched Lars and grabbed his left arm. He swung Lars around a few times, but when Lars tried to make him release his grip, he just used his other arm and ripped off Lars' arm. Lars dropped to the floor and screamed in pain. Not only was his cybernetic arm ripped off, but so was a chunk of his organic one.

"LARS!" screamed 9S. "2B!" 2B looked over, "You and A2 hold him off!" she nodded and began attacking Eve. A2 was going to head toward Lars but 9S stopped her, "I know how you feel, but 2B can't do this alone!" A2 looked over at Lars, then a struggling 2B.

"Fine!" she said, "Don't get him killed!" she ran off to help 2B.

9S ran over to Lars, who stopped screaming, "N-Nines! Use the st-staunching gel." he groaned.

"But if I use it on you right now, you'll-"

"Hey, I-I don't mind being more of a machine, more room for upgrades, right?" he smiled.

"Dammit Lars! This isn't the time for jokes!"

"I'm not joking Nines, DO IT!" he shouted now.

9S saw no other choice, "Pod, staunching gel..." he said. His pod then floated over to Lars and began applying the gel. Lars could feel it burn, it was like something was eating his cells.

*Transition*

"Alert: Massive energy signature detected."

"What is it?" asked A2.

"The energy seems to be coming from a large number of linked machine lifeforms." machine parts swarmed Eve and as they dispersed, all his injuries were gone.

"He's absorbing the life-force of whatever's left of the network." said 2B.

"Damn it! We'll never get anywhere like this!" shouted A2. 

Just then a fireball skimming the ground, blew up right in front of Eve. Lars could be seen standing there, his sword raised, his left arm's stump covered in staunching gel. 9S jumped forward and slashed Eve. "I'm going to try hacking into Eve and shutting him down!" shouted he. "Back me up, guys!"

"On it." said 2B. She and A2 began cutting. Even Lars was doing what he could to fight, he shot fireballs, threw lances, anything he could do. "Protecting unit 9S while he hacks the system!"

"The enemy is connected to a vast network. Analysis: The actions of unit 9S have an unacceptably low probability of success. Proposal: Unit 2B should abandon Unit 9S and save-"

"Shut up!" 2B snapped, "If 9S says he can do it, then he will!" 

Eve swung at 2B and then at A2. Both of them dodged his attacks and kept fighting. Lars picked up his sword and swung at Eve, but he just evaded, "Shit!" Lars shouted. He was slapped back but before he could be torn apart in the debris storm, A2 caught him. "Thanks." he said. He grabbed the mask and gave it to her, "You think you two can do what you did in the factory?"

A2 took the mask and told him, "Keep your distance." Lars nodded.

"In that case, here." he gave her his sword. She smirked and took it. 

"2B!" she shouted and threw the mask over to her. 2B caught it and put it on. 

"Disable safety!" 2B shouted. Instead of four tendrils,  _ten_ of them came out, stabbing into her back. She groaned but looked back to Eve, her speed and strength were drastically increased. She kept attacking and A2 went berserk, she then kept fighting now, using both her and Lars' sword. Eve began summoning the machine parts to heal again, but Lars was a step ahead.

"Not this time bastard!" he shouted, he threw a dark lance into Eve's chest. He screamed in pain and the debris just cluttered on the floor again. Out of pure instinct, Lars threw out his hand, and black spheres shot out, and they kept hitting Eve. A new spell? Who cared, it was distracting him. 2B and A2 began slashing his back and sides. Finally, 9S had finished hacking him.

"Enemy unit cut off from network functionality." stated Pod-042.

Eve screamed and sent a wave of energy forward. It knocked A2 aside and 2B back. He then went for 2B but 9S jumped from behind her with a giant machine fist. "EVE!" he screamed, his fist collided with Eve's. As they struggled sparks were sent everywhere until both fists blew apart. "2B!" he screamed. Eve looked up to see 2B bringing her sword down. Again, they struggled and when she cut right through his arm, it exploded. 2B was sent back. Her sword was broken but still she fought along side, A2, 9S and Lars. As they kept fighting. 2B was struck right in the face, knocking the mask and her visor right off. Eve sent out a wave of energy, sending all of them on the ground. 

He was blubbering some kind o nonsense. 2B, A2, 9S, and Lars all got back up. "Alert: NFCS destroyed. Close-range combat no longer operable." stated Pod-042.

"ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!!" screamed Eve, "I"LL ERASE EVERYTHING!" he kept sending those energy balls everywhere. 

"A2!" shouted Lars. "Throw the sword!" A2 threw his blade right into Eve's chest. And Lars threw a dark lance. Both of them stabbed Eve and he fell to the ground.

*Fade music*

2B picked up her broken sword and walked over to Eve with Lars and A2. He was on his knees, beaten, at last...

"Brother..." he muttered.

2B stabbed his head, ending him. She brought her sword right out, and he fell to the ground. She stepped back and dropped her blade. "Finally... It's over..." she smiled.

All of the sudden, 9S grunted. The three looked behind them. "Nines?" asked Lars. As he opened his eyes, they glowed red, "No, it can't be..."

"9S!" shouted 2B.

Machine parts were slowly attaching to the android. "Heh heh... I really  screwed up..." 2B began limping toward him, "I must have been corrupted when Eve detached from the network...

*Vague Hope (Cold Rain) [Vocals]*

"No..." said 2B.

"Nng. It's okay. I can always reload my backup data from the Bunker." he said.

"But you'll lose you. The you that exist at this very moment."

"Guess so... But we can't upload this corrupted data to Caim's network, so..."

"9S..." said 2B.

"No... We can find another way!" protested Lars, "I can't lose you, too!"

"There isn't any other way, Lars... It has to be like this." he smiled. He then groaned as metallic parts began growing around his neck. "Please, 2B... I want you... to do this... for me..." 

Now tears began coming down Lars' eyes. And A2's. He began crying, "Nines..." he sobbed, "You're really leaving us? Don't do this... Please." Lars sank to his knees. 

2B extended her arms, and knelt beside 9S. She held his face toward her and she just looked. Her hands slowly went down to his neck. She began pushing 9S slowly. Lars could only watch in horror. "We were gonna go... together... weren't we?" asked Lars. 9S did not respond. A2 also began crying. She held Lars, and they both watched.

2B began tightening her grip on is neck, he began dying, his life was fading in her hands... again. He lifted his arms in a sign of pain, but with one final push, his arm slumped back to the ground. That was the final straw, 2B began breaking down. She cried and all Lars could do was watch. He and A2...

*Fade Music*

She held his lifeless head to her, still sobbing. She looked at his face, "It always... ends like this..." she sobbed. Whilst she cried Lars asked A2 a question he never wanted to.

"A2, is this what you meant? About 2B?" he asked through tears.

All A2 did was nod slightly, she still cried. They all stayed there a while, in tears. But blinking could be heard. They all looked up to see a singular machine head, blinking green eyes.

"There's still.. some alive...?" asked Lars, he stood up and walked out of A2's hold. As he limped forward, he _felt_ the rage form in his heart. His limped straightened into a walk as he picked up his sword. He was dragging his blade over to the head, "You... Damned MACHINES!" he shouted. But before he bought his blade down, all the others began blinking. Not just in their location, all of the machines that were across the region began blinking.

*Play the hopeful music from ending A, I don't quite know the name*

2B and A2 stood up, "Is this... a message?" asked 2B. "The data transmissions... They're resonating with each other..." 

Behind all three of them a giant machine began moving. 2B, A2, and Lars all looked at it and Lars readied himself to fight to his last breath. "W-wait a second! Lars!"

"What?" asked Lars.

"Who are-" asked 2B.

"It looks like I left my personal data in the machine side of things. Next thing I knew, my sense of self was regenerated over the surrounding network. Having multiple selves fuse together like this is a pretty valuable experience, so I wanted to record it- but I couldn't access any storage areas yet so I just multiplexed it over the memories of some nearby enemies, so that I returned to my own body I-"

"Nines... Just shut up..." Lars smiled.

"9S..." 2B put her hand on 9S' machine hand, "I'm glad you're okay... We all are." she said.

"...Yeah." 9S nodded. He opened up his both his hands and let all three of them on.

*2B Narrating*

*Weight of the World Playing*

What is it that separates machines from androids like us?

The machines have gained emotions. 

...Consciousness.

The final screams they summoned on the edge of death... 

They still echo within me.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have a lot of time these days. So chapters may be scarce now.  
> After all, I still have ideas that need work.  
> I want Emil Despair to play because I absolutely love that track.


	12. A Small Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle against Eve is finally over, while YoRHa figures out what to do next, our four protagonists get to have the luxury of taking a break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I'm still trying to improve.  
> I own none of the music used in my story. I just wanted to make that known.  
> Lars' moves are like Lars' from Tekken. Seriously, if you haven't played Tekken, do it right the **** now.

"Let's go." said the machine 9S. Lars felt relieved. That it was all over, that his friend was alright. As they made it out of the sinkhole, 2B looked up to see that a YoRHa shuttle was coming down to Earth. When some of the androids stepped out, they drew their swords immediately.

"Hold on!" shouted Lars, "That's 9S!"

Some of the androids looked confused but 2B also spoke up, "It IS 9S! He just uploaded his data to a machine to save himself!"

"Weapons down." Lars heard, it was the voice of a female, a very familiar one. As the one who spoke stepped forth, the four could see that it was the commander. She took a look at Lars, "You realize, this means that we have to amputate more of your arm don't you?"

"Yeah, we had no choice." Lars smiled a bit.

"Very well, 9S." the machine 9S looked at the her, "Move yourself into a smaller body."

"Yes, ma'am." said 9S.

As everyone was being loaded onto the shuttle, 9S disappeared, and then reappeared as a smaller machine. As they left the Earth and went to the shuttle Lars only now noticed how tired he really was, so he couldn't help but fall asleep. He was shook awake by 19H when they were in the hangar, "Climb onto the cot, we need to get that staunching gel off before it eats any more of your cells. Your belongings will be in your room after your surgery." said she.

"Got it." Lars said, he climbed onto the cot and gave another android his sword, his gun, book, and his mask. He entered the room that he had surgery in once before. Nothing had changed, the tools were the same, he was put with the same things, the wall even turned on like before.

“This is 81H; we are now ready to begin the operation on the cyborg. Awaiting permission.”

"Permission granted." said the Commander, just like before, stern.

"Understood." 81H turned around and another android placed a mask over Lars' face. “Team H-107-0-0, prepare to begin the operation: 8-0-1.” the world around him began to fade, "19H, is the Type-4O arm primed?"

_Type-4O_ _? Like, the weapon?_ thought Lars before finally letting his mind drift into nothingness.

 

 

 

Lars' eyes fluttered open. He blinked several times and glanced around. He tried moving his fingers on his left arm, and when he felt them twitch a bit, he sat up. Lars was in his room again, he hadn't been here in ages and he looked at his new arm. From the shoulder to his elbow was what appeared to be normal skin. He knew it wasn't but it looked the part. The part going down was glossy black just like before, except it had a blue line instead of a white. He tried doing what he did to extend his hidden blade, and when it extended, it flashed with blue lightning. Lars got startled a bit and put the blade back in his arm, he looked at the fingers, it was more less the same, he wondered if he still had the things before.

He stood up and looked for the switches, he looked on the bottom of his wrist. There they were, time manipulation, phase shifter, cloaking, and now, staunching gel. That last one seemed really useful, his team-mates  _are_  androids after all. As he was thinking of this, The Commander walked into the room, "I've see you're looking at you new arm."

"Oh, yeah." responded Lars.

"If you wish to actually use it, I suggest you go to the testing room." she sighed, "Listen, you and your comrades have been through a lot this past week. Do you know what that means?"

"I'm not sure, Commander, what is it?"

"Since the first time we've met, I don't have any orders for you or your team-mates." she began walking out the door.

"Thank you, Commander." Lars said. She stopped half-way out of the door.

"White." she said.

"White?" asked Lars.

"My name. You stop calling me 'Commander'. Just call me White." then she left.

"White, huh?" Lars looked at the clock, it was 12:52 P.M., "I've got free time." he said. Lars looked at the clothes he was in, his shirt were plain grey, and his pants were black. Lars decided to go change into his spare YoRHa uniform. When he looked in the mirror, he looked like 9S, just without the left sleeve and with long pants. When he left his room, A2 was standing there.

"Oh! A2." said Lars.

"Hey." she responded.

"What brings you here?"

"The Commander just dropped by and told me that I had free time, so I figured I'd spend it with you."

"Oh! Um... alright, where do you want to go?"

"You decide." she smiled.

They walked around the Bunker for a while, they came across, a flight simulations room, a zero gravity gym, and a sparring arena. They decided on the sparring arena. In there, there was 27D, who was beating up a poor scanner. Lars had seen him around before, 801S?

"Man you're weak!" gloated 27D.

"I'm a  _scanner_ not a battler..." said 801S wiping some blood off his mouth.

*Love and Energy (Hiroshi Tanahashi)*

"Hey, let me try." said A2 out of nowhere.

27D and 801S both stared at A2. 27D began laughing, "Heh, I was pretty vexed today, so I beat up this scanner. But now, I get to beat the once-traitor?! Come on then!"

801S stepped out of the ring and A2 stepped in. "Combatants: A2 vs. 27D" said the automated voice. Both A2 and 27D got in their fighting positions. Lars noticed that A2's stance was very much like his. 27D's he could recognize, but he just couldn't place it. Was it something like judo? Or jujitsu? Who cared? "Fight starts in 3... 2... 1..." A2 and 27D immediately lunged towards each other. 27D threw a punch in which A2 easily dodged. 27D attempted to trow a body blow, which A2 also evaded.

"You say you can beat me?" asked A2 mockingly.

"Shut up!" spat 27D.

A2 continued to evade blows from 27D. She wasn't even attacking. As 27D kept attacking and A2 kept dodging, Lars began to grow tired of this. "Hey, A2?"

"What?" she asked as she caught 27D's fist.

"When are you gonna stop holding back?" asked Lars.

"So, you want me to attack? Why didn't you say so?" A2 hit 27D with the "thundering palm", sending 27D to the other side of the ring. She then jumped forward and slammed her fist into 27D's chest. But she wasn't done yet, she did a backwards swipe with her left hand, hit 27D with her right arm, then her left. Finally, she raised her right arm in the air, bought in down and the red energy from her berserk mode blasted everywhere. She lunged forward and before 27D could react, she was hit right into the sealing. "There." said A2.

"Bravo." Lars said clapping. 27D fell back to the floor.

"A word of advice, gloat  _after_ you win a fight." said A2, she then looked at Lars, "What next?" asked she.

" _My_ turn." said Lars, "I've see you're using my fighting style." Lars said standing up, "After all, you shouldn't have to fight a weakling like her..."

Lars stepped onto the ring, and readied his fighting stance. A2 readied her's, it was the same as Lars', did she really know all of his moves? Lars and A2 both charged forward at the same time, their fists collided with a giant slam. Lars used a palm attack with his left, but A2 did the same. Their palms hit each other faces and they were both sent back. A2 getting up faster, but Lars was still prepared, A2 charged forward and attempted to do a flying kick but Lars jumped and axed kicked her to the ground.

As they were fighting, 2B and 9S entered the room. "Whoa..." said 9S.

2B did not say anything, she just watched in awe.

A2 and Lars both charged again, this time kicking each other with their left legs, Lars was at a disadvantage, A2 wearing heels. Lars held his stomach and was then kicked right in the face by A2's right leg. He got back up but A2 was too fast for him to react, she held him in a headlock, "In a real scenario, I'd snap your neck." she said.

*Fade Music*

"Alright, alright, you win." chuckled Lars. A2 released her grip on him and massaged his neck. He looked over to 2B and A2, "Oh, Nines!" exclaimed Lars.

"Hey." said he.

"You're okay! And you got a new body." 

"Yeah, is that your new arm?" asked 9S, he closely examined it.

"Yep, they said it was a Type-4O."

"Type-4O? Man, that's pretty good."

While they talked, 2B walked over to A2. "That fighting style, it looks like Lars'." said 2B.

"That's because it  _is_ his style." responded A2.

"Well then, let's spar."

"Sure. Lars?" called A2.

"Hm? What is it?" asked Lars.

"I'm gonna spar with 2B, you and 9S can go off."

"S-sure." As 2B and A2 walked into the ring, 9S and Lars both stepped out, "So, where do you want to go?" asked he.

"Well, it looks like the sparring room is gonna be occupied for a while." A large boom could be heard inside, "Soooo, the Bunker has a bunch of stuff you haven't seen yet."

"I'm down for whatever we go to."

"Alright, c'mon."

In their time going around the Bunker, they came across several things, there was even a water room. Androids were fighting underwater, "What's the point of that if you guys can't swim?"

"It's to train us if we have to fight in any situations where we can't move as well."

"Huh."

"Oh! We can take a bath! I read that some humans took baths together. Do you wanna go?"

"Sure, why not?"

Lars and 9S walked over to the elevator and got in. As they got out at the top-floor, Lars saw a room labeled "Bathhouse". Wait, really? A bathhouse? As they drew closer to the bath, the door slid open and several androids came out, Lars recognized them as Team H-107-0-0. "You're the cyborg aren't you?" asked one of them. As they began bombarding him with questions, one of them stepped forward.

"That's enough, he's on break. We shouldn't ask him questions at a time like this." it was 19H. They all sighed and all began walking off, "They're just a bit curious, Lars. I wouldn't worry about them." then she walked off to catch up with her comrades.

When they entered the changing room, Lars saw that two other androids were here. He recognized them from before, if he remembered correctly they were 6O and 21O right? They were putting on their boots and then their veils when they saw 9S and Lars, "Oh, 9S." said 21O.

"Hi, Operator." responded 9S.

"Me and 6O were about to leave to find you." she walked up to 9S and pulled up a tablet sort of thing and gave it to him, "It's your next mission briefing, it starts in one day."

"Does that mean that we only have today off?"

"Yes." said she bluntly.

"Ugh. What a pain."

"Need I remind you that our missions bring us closer to getting mankind back to the Earth?"

"Yeah, yeah." grumbled 9S.

"One affirmation will suffice." and then she and 6O began walking out.

"Don't let her get to you, 9S. Gotta go!" said 6O before leaving.

"Geez, that happen every time you talk to her?" asked Lars.

"No, just very often." 9S sighed as he and Lars took their coats off, " If only they knew the truth..."

"Nines?" asked Lars.

"Oh, sorry. It's still a bit to take in, I mean, the burden you carry... I-I wish I could do something to help."

"It's fine, I'll find a way." Lars reassured, "Seriously though, how did you find out?"

"I'll explain in a bit."

9S and Lars put towels around their waists and began cleaning themselves. Finally, they climbed into the bath. The water felt heavenly, it was nice and hot, but not too hot. It also somehow kept him cool. "So, how did you find out?"

"Well, when 2B and A2 were in the factory, I got an alert that 2B was stranded in the factory. So I decided to go to one of the terminals because I could hack a machine from there. To do that, I ad to access the main server, when I got there I saw some files about humans. My curiosity got the best of me and I took a look at the shipping logs to the Moon. It had so little supplies, but eventually, I got to a part where it said that the Council of Humanity was established as part of YoRHa." 9S took a deep breath, "Hell, there was even a defense system to protect those files."

*Flashback*

"Alert: 2B, A2, and Lars have defeated the Goliath-class heavy-weapon unit." stated Pod-153.

"Hm? Ah, right. Okay, good." 9S began running out of the room and into the elevator, suddenly, he got a call.

"9S." said the Commander's voice.

"Commander?" asked 9S.

"I'm sorry. You're needed back at Command." said she.

"...Understood." 

9S exited the elevator and bolted over to the command center At the door, stood the Commander. "...You left quite a trail when you accessed the main server." she said.

"That's what I wanted to speak with you about, Commander." she remained silent, " I found records stating that the Council of Humanity was established as a part of Project YoRHa. But I always heard it was the other way around." 9S looked up straight into White's eyes, "So did YoRHa actually create the Council of Humanity?"

The Commander sighed heavily, "Yes." she finally said. "We installed the Council of Humanity's server on the surface of the moon."

"But that means..."

"Mankind no longer exists." 9S was in complete shock, "In truth, humans never went to the moon at all. Any transmissions received from the moon are just dummy signals we set up in advance. The only thing there is a small bit of data relating to the human genome."

"But, why would you-"

"Humans were already extinct when the aliens attacked. All the details are stored on this memory chip. If you want to look at it, I won't stop you."

"Wait, you're just giving me this? But why?"

The Commander sighed once again, "No one fights without a reason, even Caim fought for justice that didn't exist. And we need a God worth dying for. Or at least, that's what I once thought. As of right now, only Lars and I know this, and you now will, too. Lars is going to go home, and we are to follow him to his world. After all, our function is to serve humans, and his world is in ruins, they  _need_ our help." she closed her eyes and looked up once again, "What path will you take? It's up to you to decide."  

Hours passed by and 9S sat in his room, "The human race is... gone. How do I tell 2B?" The alarm went off.

"Emergency Protocol, code F2. All YoRHa members are to report to combat stations immediately. Repeat. Emergency Protocol, code F2. All YoRHa members are to report to combat stations immediately."

"Combat stations? I better get a move on." 9S ran to the hangar and began his descent to Earth.

*Return to Present*

"And that's how it happened. After all that, I went down to Earth and helped you guys." said 9S.

"Wow. But, did you tell 2B?" said Lars.

"No, I couldn't bring myself to. Anyway, you never really answered my question about getting all of us to your world."

"In the book that Caim gave me, it said I can somehow open up a giant portal and bring our stuff to any world. But it's really hard to master... But I'll find a way."

"Great, oh would you look at that, our time is up." 

9S and Lars both got out of the bath and began getting dressed. When they exited 2B and A2 were both waiting for them outside. They were both covered in bruises and cuts, "Jesus, did you both fight for the entire time we were in there?" asked Lars.

"No, we were here for two minutes." said A2.

"Well, I'll send you all the data for tomorrow's mission, I'll see you later." 9S said, he waved as he and 2B walked off.

"Who won?" asked Lars while they were going down.

"It was a draw." responded A2, "I'm gonna win next time..." she clenched her fist.

When they reached Lars' room they both went in and food sat on the table. Lars opened the lid to see that it looked like crap compared to what Devola and Popola could make, but hey, you can't be picky when you're a soldier. Lars quickly finished his food and as he was changing, he saw that A2 had gotten a pillow from his bed. "Don't you have your own room?"

"it's too cramped, your room is spacious even though you're already in it." she responded.

Lars climbed into his bed,"You know what? How about you sleep in the bed? It's a bit too spacious."

"What?" she asked, "That's kinda weird."

"Please?"

"Alright, just let me clean and change first." a few minutes later, A2 came out all clean and wearing some spare clothes Lars had. They fit perfectly. "Why is the left sleeve on all your clothes missing?"

"Arm, remember?" said Lars, waving his left arm around.

A2 climbed into the bed and Lars felt warmer. He looked over to her, "Good night." he said.

"What? Good night?" asked she.

"From what I remember, saying that was a human custom, guess it's just an instinct for me."

"Alright, good night." 

As Lars fell asleep, A2 looked at him. She had finally found it.

 

Someone worth protecting.

 

And with that, she wrapped her arms around him and snored softly along with Lars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's perfectly normal for a humans and androids to take a bath together. At least it is to me.  
> And yes, YoRHa has a bath house and all that other stuff in my head-cannon.  
> Happy Anniversary, Nier Automata!


	13. Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next descent to Earth is here, now for missions, and a new long coat. And two from the past have come back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BTW: My range of words is rather small. I apologize.  
> 

"Wake up."

That voice... Lars recognized it. It was the voice of someone he never wanted to ever hear again. It was the same one from when he first awoke.

"Please, wake up."

IT WAS ADAM!

"How!?" screamed Lars, "How are you still in my head!?"

No response.

"ANSWER ME!!!" screamed Lars, but before he could do anything else, the world around him began to crumble.

 

Lars' eyes fluttered awake, t'was a bit... warmer, though. If it was not the blanket then... Lars' face grew bright red and e lost his breath, for A2 was holding him in her arms, like he was some kind of stuffed animal or something. But, he didn't really mind. He  _did_ ask that she could sleep in the bed with him. So, Lars didn't really mind or try to do anything, it was warm and he felt safe, like she would protect him. But, that voice, could it really be Adam? He was dead, so how could he still hear him? Lars tried to brush this off and just closed his eyes to sleep some more.

 

 

"We got you there didn't we?" asked another familiar voice.

"Another one? EVE!" screamed Lars.

"Heh heh. Looks like you know it's us." said Adam.

Lars bolted around him, to see that the both of them. They were standing in his mind, "You bastards! Get the hell out of my mind!" yelled Lars. He charged forward and tried to punch Eve, but he dodged. Lars then attempted to punch Adam, but he too evaded. He kept attacking, but his attacks just couldn't hit them. "How? How are you in my mind?" panted Lars.

"It's simple, really. When we transferred you to this world, Eve took your memories. To do that, he needed to go into your mind, so a fraction of his consciousness was stuck in your head. And when I first spoke to you, a fragment of  _my_ consciousness remained in your head." smiled Adam, "That's why we are here."

"Get. Out..." said Lars through gritted teeth.

"Sorry, can't do that. Y'know we've been thinking, after all we've done to you, we'll help you and your friends out." said Eve.

"What?" asked Lars, "You're bluffing!"

"Are we?" asked Adam, "Only time will tell, Lars." Adam pulled up a giant clock, it was nearly seven A.M. "It seems we are out of time, it's time for you to wake up." Adam and his brother floated up and blinding light  flashed everywhere,

 

 

Lars woke up once again. Did Eve really have his memories? Does that mean he could give them back? And were they serious about helping him out? The alarm on the clock went off, A2 lifted one of her arms to shut it off and she lifted herself up, letting Lars free. She rubbed her eyes as Lars sat up. "Hello there." she said.

"H-hey, A2. Good morning." smiled Lars.

"Good morning? Is that another human custom?" asked she, getting up from the bed.

"Yeah, it is."

A2 went into the bathroom and began  changing into her armor. While she was in there, food was delivered to his room. Lars ate while A2 finished up. When it was Lars' turn, he quickly showered and brushed, have to stay hygienic. Lars got changed and got all of his gear, as they were walking out, Lars noticed A2 didn't have any of her weapons. "A2?"

"Hmm?"

"Where are your weapons?"

"While you were in surgery, they said I was going to get new weapons."

Just when she said that, two scanners walked up carrying two bladed weapons. One of which was a long sword, it resembled an odachi but it was just a bit smaller, and it required two hands. The other sword was much wider, it looked like it could smash and slash at the same time. "These are your new weapons, A2." the one carrying the odachi looking blade said, "It's an upgraded YoRHa standard issue blade, and can rival his blade." he pointed at a confused Lars. A2 took the sword and threw it behind her, only for it to disappear.

"This one is a 'YoRHa Sword-Mace', not only can it slash through mostly anything, but it can also break enemy defenses with the flat parts." A2 took and also made it disappear. "We do hope that you do  _not_ use these weapons against us. Now, go to Command, your team-mates await." the two androids walked off.

"Still got some trust issues, huh?" asked Lars.

"Yeah, I suppose it can't be helped." sighed A2, "Well, they're waiting for us. Let's go." 

A2 and Lars hurried over to the command center, 2B and 9S stood with the Commander. "Ah, there you two are. We were about to start without you. 9S, begin."

"Yes, Commander. Our mission is to go to the resistance and help them repair their camp. Ever since those machines attacked from that report 2B gave, they haven't recovered. We're gathering resources and other things to help. That's it." said he.

"It's time for all of you to move out." said the Commander, but she stopped Lars, "Remember, we have a deadline, we still plan to have that invasion. Once we destroy the machines, we won't be able to stall forever. You  _have_ to perfect your portal."

"Got it." responded Lars, "White?" 

"What is it?"

"I can hear Adam and Eve in my head, they say they will help me. I don't exactly trust them but, they're the ones who transported me from my world to here."

"What?" she turned around, "How is that possible?"

"When they did all their experiments on me, fractions of them remained in my mind."

The Commander looked to be deep in thought, "Trust them for now, but report to me whatever they try to do. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am." Lars left the command center to catch up.

_"You do not trust us?"_ asked Adam.

"Of course I don't. You attempted to kill my friends, tried to kill me, and you hurt Nines." said Lars.

"It seems that we have to prove that we're on your side then." said Eve.

"That's never going to happen..."

Lars got to the hangar where the other three were waiting for him. They all got into their flight units, except Lars, he was stopped by 6O. "Oh! We've made modifications to your flight unit. Those two holes in your neck should lead to your brain's nerval systems, so now your flight unit will have those wires like you have on your mask to connect you. Understand?" asked she.

"Kind of, guess I'll find out for myself." said Lars.

"Alright then, good luck! Say hi to Devola and Popola for me would you?"

"You got it." said Lars as she walked away.

Lars boarded his unit and when he got in position, two wires came out and stuck themselves into his nape. Lars groaned as the data surged into his mind, his nose began bleeding but all of the sudden it stopped. He knew how to pilot this thing now, how simple it was. "Lars?" said 9S over the comms, "I'm going to take control."

"No need. I think I know how to pilot it."

"How? You never even did any simulations."

"Trust me dude."

"Alright, but if anything goes wrong, I'm taking control and I get to say, 'I told you so'."

"Fine by me."

As the other two launched Lars and 9S was put on standby, but it was 9S' turn, "YoRHa scanner number 9, launching!" he shouted. And he was sent out of the Bunker.

Lars' flight unit was put onto the catapult, "Oh! Um... YoRHa cyborg number zero, taking off!" shouted Lars, the G-force put a strain on him, but he managed better this time. As he flew through space, he tried maneuvering a bit, he moved so smoothly and his reaction speed was through the roof. "You really  _can_  control it!" shouted 9S.

"I told you so." said Lars.

"Yeah yeah."

"One affirmation will suffice." teased Lars.

"Don't  _you_ start doing this, too!"

"Cut the chatter." said 2B, "Begin your atmospheric entry procedures before you burn."

"Right." said Lars, he closed his eyes and commanded the atmospheric entry procedures to happen mentally and they did. As they kept going, Lars felt the heat, finally they broke through. He was on Earth once again, and he saw the ruined city. Beeping started on his monitor and he looked and saw several contacts appear. He looked to his left and saw several flying machines. "Looks like we have a welcoming party." he said. "I'll go first!" he shouted.

"Lars wait!" shouted 2B. But she saw that she had no need to do so. Lars flew around like an ace and began shooting them down one by one. A machine flew at him and he did a barrel roll, evading it's attack.

"Gotcha!" said Lars as he shot it down, more appeared and 2B, 9S, and A2 began intercepting them. Lars saw that more machines had appeared on his side, too. "I wonder if this thing has any missiles." he said. 

"Missiles initiated." said an automated voice.

"Sweet." smiled Lars, he fired every single missile he had in organized rows. All the machines in front were annihilated. Over on the other's side of this, A2 shot a machine down and 2B cut the last one down. 

When they landed, Lars disconnected the wires and massaged his neck, "Next time,  _wait_  before you go off and fight, got it?" scolded 2B.

"Right, sorry."  said Lars. After they walked all the way to the camp, Lars noticed that things were much better. The entire place wasn't on fire and there wasn't android bodies everywhere. While 2B and Anemone talked, 9S began going around and helping out with lifting things. Lars saw Devola and Popola carrying boxes. "Devola! Popola!" he shouted.

"Oh! Lars." said Popola.

"What're you wearing?" asked Devola.

"Oh, yeah. The long coat you both made me was too damaged to wear anymore, please don't be mad..."

"We're not mad, in fact here." said Popola, she gave Lars a new coat, "Go and put it on.". Lars went to an alley and took off what he had presently, he then put the long coat on. It looked way different, there were five buttons on one side. The YoRHa details were on the sleeves and the bottom of the long coat. And rather than having the YoRHa insignia on the back, there was a roaring lion. When Lars walked out, A2 did a clapping motion.

"Not bad. Not bad at all." said Devola.

"It's comfy but, what's with the lion?" asked Lars.

"We read that the lion symbolizes strength and courage, things you obviously have." said Popola.

"Huh, I guess I do. Anyway, I thank you for the coat, so how can we help?"

"You and A2 can help carry these crates to storage while we go tend to any wounded. Can you both do that?" asked Devola.

"Will do." said A2. As Devola and Popola left, Lars and A2 began carrying the crates over. "Wonder what's in these?" she shook a box, "Sounds like ammunition."

"Sure is a lot of it." When they finished, 2B and 9S joined up with them.

"Let's go, we're going to gather materials." said 2B.

As they left the camp, the four went all over the city, collecting several materials along the way. Eventually they split up, 2B with A2 and 9S with Lars. The boys were a bit reluctant to leave the females, knowing their "rivalry" but, there was nothing they could do. "Man, these machines have gone berserk haven't they?" asked 9S as he threw his sword into a machine.

"Yeah, they have." responded Lars. He bisected a machine and then kicked the top half into other machines, after that he smashed all of them with his dark arm. "Hey look, copper, just what we needed." said Lars.

"That's another material down." 9S looked back in front of him. "Look." he said. Lars looked at what he was pointing at, and saw some kind of machine worm. "I'll start hacking it, buy me some time."

"You got it."

*Transition to 2B and A2*

A2 used her long sword to cut a machine in half, she then charged forward to stab another machine. 2B cleaved a machine clean in two with her larger sword and picked up more materials. "How much do we have?" called A2. Pod-042 pulled up a screen and 2B looked.

"We just need seven more items."

A2 nodded and turned back to dodge a fist from a taller machine and smashed it's torso in with her sword-mace, then she proceeded to decapitate it, "Alright then, let's go." said she.

"Right." said 2B.

*Transition*

Lars huffed as he leaned on his sword, "Could you have done it a bit faster?" asked he.

"When you're hacking, you have to be careful." said 9S as he collected the materials.

"Yeah, I guess."

"We should take a break," he pulled up a screen, "Only one more material."

As the both of them sat down, Lars began eating and drinking. "Toss me a bottle could you?" asked 9S. Lars tossed a bottle of water over and 9S just drank it. "Androids don;t need to drink, but I like it, feels like I'm cooling down my systems."

"Hey, Nines?" asked Lars, "I've been meaning to ask you something."

"What is it?" asked 9S.

"So, um. How come you haven't proposed to 2B yet?" asked Lars.

"W-w-w-w-w-what?" 9S' face went bright red.

"I mean, I see the way you look at her, you are totally in  _love_ with her." 9S didn't to anything but stutter and fumble with his words.

" _Are you really asking him these questions?"_ asked Adam in his head.

"Shut it." said Lars.

"I-I-L-look, I really want to, but, she'd probably just say, 'Emotions are prohibited' and just reject me already, remember the amusement park?"

"Oh yeah. But, 'Emotions are prohibited?"

"We're androids remember?"

"Yet, you all can display emotions, you were built so well that you can even  _feel_ emotions?"

"I guess, why ban emotions when we can clearly feel them, right?" 

"One of YoRHa's greatest mysteries, ready to go Nines?"

"Yeah."

9S and Lars kept going, destroying more and more machines, but they just couldn't find the final material they needed. "Alert: Call incoming by YoRHa Bunker." stated Pod-153.

"Put it through." said 9S. The screen opened up and it was the Commander.

"White?" asked Lars. "What is it?"

"9S, Lars, there is a Titan-class enemy in your vicinity, clear the area now! You can't take this enemy on by yourselves, wait fo-" the call was cut off.

"Are we being jammed?" asked Lars.

"Unknown." said Pod-153.

"Anyway, we should get out of here." said 9S, "Come on!"

*Grandma Destruction*

But it was too late. The mountain in front of them began shaking, and then a giant machine burst forth. It looked like a giant walking castle, and it was deploying countless machines.  _"That machine..."_ said Adam.

"What do you know about it?" asked Lars.

"Lars, who are you talking to? We have to leave!" shouted 9S.

_"A walking fortress from the first machine war. It's the first and last of it's kind, it was a kind of walking fortress for raids, but it was never used for it was too dangerous."_ warned Adam.

Lars began running away, the machines began chasing them. The flying ones, centaur looking ones, even giants. 9S attempted to contact 2B, but it was in vain. Lars tried, but even his mask couldn't do anything,  _"Don't bother, this machine can jam any device, no matter how powerful."_ said Eve. Lars cursed under his breath and kept running, he turned around and fired his smash cannon, destroying all following machines, but out of the smoke came more machines. If this kept up, they would eventually be caught and killed.

"Nines!" shouted Lars.

"What?!"

"We have to fight!"

"You insane?! We can't defeat that thing ourselves!"

"Yeah, but the castle looking one isn't moving! Just fight these small fry! We'll probably die either way!"

"Fine! Providing support!" shouted 9S, rings formed above his palms and his sword began to fly around, destroying countless machines. Lars drew his sword and activated his time manipulation. He sped around cutting down what seemed like infinite machines. When it deactivated, only more machines jumped out, this time their faces were torn open, mouths could be seen. As 9S and Lars fought of hordes and hordes of machines, they began to get surrounded. "Lars! I don't think we can keep this up for much longer!"

Lars didn't respond, he put the mask on and began destroying machines. But no matter how many he cut, no matter how many he blew up, they just kept coming!  _"You and 9S are struggling, let us help!"_

"How?!" asked Lars.

_"Create temporary bodies for us!"_

"You know, if I knew how to do that!" Lars sent a blazing ball skimming the ground into a group of machines, incinerating them, "You would know wouldn't you? Plus, how would you guys get into those bodies!?"

_"Fine! I'll take control for a bit!"_

"No! Wai-!" Lars stopped and looked up, he put his arms out and two limp, perfect bodies of Adam and Eve formed. 

"LARS! What are you doing?! That's Adam and Eve!" shouted 9S, he was knocked down by a machine, and Lars snapped out of his daze. 

"Nines!" he shouted, 9S tried to crawl away from the machine with a giant axe, but before he could swing down, Lars blocked it with his sword and annihilated it with his smash cannon. "You alright?" he asked.

"Why did you create those bodies?!" asked 9S frantically.

"I created those?" asked Lars. How was this possible, did Adam do that?

_"We're going to transfer!"_ shouted Eve.

"What?" asked Lars, but two balls of light shot out of his body and into those two bodies. 9S picked up his sword but only looked around in horror. Machines had completely surrounded the two boys and two bodies. But they did nothing.

*Fade*

The bodies began getting up and they both looked up. They took a deep breath and took a look at the world around them. "Well, it's nice to be breathing again. Isn't it Eve?" Were they  _really_ in those bodies?

"Yeah, it is. That mind of yours is cramped." said Eve, he looked at Lars and 9S. 

"Wha-! Adam and Eve, but we killed you!" shouted 9S, he pointed his sword at them.

"Now's not the time for words, boy. We'll explain later, but now is the time to fight!" shouted Adam.

*Transition*

A giant force shook the Earth, followed by the sound of the smash-cannon being fired, "Did you hear that?" asked A2.

"Alert: multiple machines and Titan-class machine are in the area. Hypothesis: YoRHa unit 9S and YoRHa cyborg Lars are engaged in combat. Proposal: Unit's 2B and A2 should abandon 9S and Lars and await reinforcements." said Pod-042

"NO!" shouted A2. "I'm not going to abandon the one most precious to me!"

"I'm not going anywhere either! We're going to help, now!" shouted 2B.

"Alert: Unit 2B and A2's choices have unacceptable levels of unsuccess." stated the Pod.

"Don't care!" shouted 2B, "Let's go!"

*Transition*

*End of the Unknown (Dynamic)*

Adam kicked a hole into a machine and shot energy at several of them, destroying them. Eve punched one into the air and punched it back down into several crowds of machines. They both laughed laughs of pure joy and happiness to finally be able to move again. "This is even better than I remember!" shouted Adam.

"Holy shit... They really  _are_ helping me. Why?" asked Lars.

"What? They're helping us? After all they  _did_ to us?" asked 9S.

"I don't know why... But this may be our chance. Let's go!" Lars and 9S tried to run, but other machines blocked their way. So they began fighting as well, cutting machines up, hacking and destroying them, setting them ablaze, you name it. As they all kept fighting, the machines did not stop. Adam punched into the ground, and the pillars of energy from before shot up and sent machines flying everywhere. Lars and 9S continued to take non-fatal hits, but when a machine with a sword tried to kill the both of them, Eve grabbed the both of them with the dark-arm. "What? They know my spells, too?!" asked Lars.

"We did remain in your mind, so we could soak up as much of you as we wanted." smiled Eve.

"You bastards..." cursed Lars.

"Lars, look!" 9S pointed at 2B and A2 running over, "2B!" he shouted.

"9S!" shouted 2B, she and A2 ran over to where Lars and 9S were after cutting through some machines, "We have to get out of here."

"I agree." said 9S, "But look." he pointed to the rampaging brothers.

"Wha- That's impossible!" yelled A2. "We should kill them again!"

"Much as I would  _love_ to, Adam said he and Eve are going to help me. And the worst part is that I think I'm starting to believe his words." panted Lars.

"Since when has anything he's said been the truth?" asked A2.

"Well, if you  _want_ to kill us, go on ahead! But then you'll lose your chance of destroying that machine before it causes anymore trouble, these bodies can only be created once in a day. So, if you kill us, you'll have to wait again! IF you ever want to help ever again that is!" laughed Adam as he kicked a machine into the air, kicked it several times and then back into the ground.

"And don't forget, we bought Lars into this world, we can teach him how to get out!" smiled Eve, "Your choice!" He bashed a machine into the ground and then punted it's head into a hoard of machines, sending all of them flying.

"2B?" asked 9S.

"We've got no other choice. Help them out." she said, quietly. 

As they all charged in to fight the machines, the numbers actually began to decrease. A2 cut through several of them with one swipe of her sword-mace. It was so much easier for her now, her new swords were much lighter and had about the same strength as Lars' sword. But thoughts crossed her mind like why Adam and Eve are still alive. And why were they helping. Whilst she thought this, 2B thought about  _how_ to kill Adam and Eve if she ever had to again, she snapped out of it when 9S was knocked down, she charged and impaled the machine easily. As they kept fighting, the number of machines kept rapidly decreasing. Lars was having trouble keeping up, he could cut down machines easily but the ones behind him kept getting him. A2 jumped in and sliced one in half, "Stay behind me." she said. Lars nodded as A2 jumped into the air and ground pounded, sending machines everywhere. Eventually, no more machines were left and the field grew silent.

*Fade music*

"Well." huffed Adam, "That was fun, now to take care of that machine." he pointed over at the now-dormant fortress. "Let us go." he said, he gestured a hand signal to follow.

"Wait just one minute." said 2B, she pointed a sword at him, "You first attempted to kill us, torture 9S, and your brother attacks the Resistance. Now you say you're  _helping_ us? Just how could I believe a word that comes out of your mouth when you've done all that to us?" 

"It's simple really, out intentions will be revealed in due time. And I never said we were helping you, we're helping him." he pointed at Lars. 

"You still expect me to trust you both?" asked Lars.

"Well, we're going to  _earn_ your trust." said Eve, he picked an apple from a tree and began eating it.

"That's  _never_ going to happen."

"Only time will tell, now down to business. We have to destroy that machine." he pointed at the machine, and he had a grimmer look on his face, "It  _does_ have to potential to fire nuclear arms..."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adam and Eve are helping now because I needed reason to play "End of The Unknown" again. And he and Eve have their own agenda.  
> A2's new long sword looks like the Gundam Barbatos' bare sword and her sword-mace looks like the Barbatos' sword mace, I just wanted to make that clear.  
> And for the lion on Lars' back, search up Lars Alexandersson's symbol and look for the roaring lion.


	14. Infiltration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Fortress is a Titan-class enemy. Even with Adam and Eve's help, YoRHa still may not be able to destroy it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, nukes.

"Nuclear arms?!" shouted 9S.

"I'm afraid it's the truth..." said Adam, "Which is why we cannot wait for your reinforcements to come, it's going to start moving soon, and once that happens, there's no telling _where_ it'll go."

"Why don't we just order an orbital strike on it?" asked 2B. "We can do it now and even if we can just be uploaded into a new body, Lars' life would we at stake."

"Well, you  _could_   call an orbital strike, and let all of the bombs explode at once, causing even more damage." retorted Adam, "There is no other choice, we must go."

"Why do you care so much about us right now? You and your brother tried killing us on several occasions." said 9S.

"We care only about Lars. I thought I made that clear." 

"Well, we should make a plan and start it now." Lars pointed at the machine, "Looks like it's about to start moving." And he was right, the machine's mechanical groans could be heard as it began moving it's limbs, "2B, don't worry about me. If we  _did_ order an orbital strike, the explosion would wipe the Resistance camp out as well. We can't risk that, so we're going to destroy the fortress and not let the nukes explode."

*Bipolar Nightmare (Instrumental) Read slowly (But not too slow)*

"Fine..." sighed 2B. "Don't you dare die, you're still important to all of us."

With that, they all took off towards the tower. It began shooting missiles, those energy balls, every and anything it could shoot, it did. It even threw rocks at them, mechanical arms reached out from behind it and grabbed giant boulders. One almost hit A2 but she easily smashed it with her sword-mace. Adam and Eve activated their energy shields and began to block shots. 2B, 9S, A2 and Lars all began dodging. "You have more of a chance to get shot if you zig-zag!" shouted 2B. "Keep a straight line and keep running! Adam and Eve, take the front!" The party nodded and all got into a straight line. As fire concentrated on all of them, Adam began taking all of their shots. But he could not keep this up, eventually his shield went off and Eve took the front. But with the amount of fire power this monster had, it'd only be a matter of time before his shield would inevitably turn off as well. If they were going to make it into this behemoth, then they needed a new strategy.

"I'm going to draw it's fire! Keep going!" yelled Lars.

"What?! No! That's suicide!" shouted 9S back.

"If I don't do anything, then we'll die and this behemoth will cause even more destruction!"

"Whatever you're gonna do! Do it quick!" yelled Eve, "My field's about to go down!"

Lars stepped out of the line and kept running, he stopped and shot a fire ball at it, then a few dark lances. It was slight, but he saw an eye shift toward him. It began focusing all of it's fire on him. He began running away from the rest of the group. And as they kept running forward he ran to the left, shots landed next to him, behind him, in front of him. Explosions shot gravel everywhere, but he kept running. This time, he jumped into the air and shot seven flames at the machine. It threw a rock at him, but Lars sliced it in half with his arm-blade. He looked off into the distance to see that everyone was getting closer to the fortress and cannons were shooting at them. 

Lars shot his smash-cannon at one of the guns, and once again all turrets were shooting at him. So he had to keep running, and he saw his comrades enter the fortress. Now, he needed to figure out how he can get into the fortress,  _"I need to destroy those guns..."_ thought he. He then got a call from 9S, "Lars, we're inside the fortress! Hurry and get in here!"

"I'd love to! But let me take care of this first!" shouted he. He sprouted his wings and activated his own force-field. All cannons were concentrated on him now. As he flew around, he noticed that the energy balls weren't particularly fast, so he has a second or two to throw lances at the cannons, destroying them one by one, but if he screwed up, the consequences would be dire.

*(Vocals)*

As each and every single cannon fired at him, he kept dodging. He spun, did flips, dived, yet he still was taking shots. His force-field could hold up, for now. He tried activating his time manipulation, but to do that, he had to turn off his force-field. If that happened, he would surely be hit by a missile, looked like timing was going to have to be a necessity in this situation. As he flew around, the others looked on. "He won't last like this, sooner or later, he's going to get shot down." said Adam.

"I'm going back out there!" shouted A2.

"No! You'll get shot!" shouted 9S.

"But, Lars won't last! He can't upload himself up to the network!" shouted she. A2 ran outside before 2B, 9S, Adam, or Eve could stop her. As the machine's cannons pointed at her, they all began shooting. She began dodging all the balls, missiles, rocks, you name it. Lars saw her and wanted to swoop and and grab her. But this was his chance, every single gun was pointed away from him now. As A2 cut a missile out of the air, Lars deactivated his field and threw several dark lances. They hit several cannons, and fire was directed at him again. As he activated his shield again, he looked back on the ground that Adam and Eve were shooting at the machine, fire was drawn away from him. Again, the shots were driven away from him. He threw more lances, and even more cannons were destroyed, finally only a few more remained.

As fire was redirected at him. Adam and Eve started shooting once again. 2B and 9S came out and Lars saw 9S attempting to hack into the machine. As he did, the machine froze and stopped moving, but now was the final chance that he had. Lars held his sword up, and the dark lances formed. Carefully, he aimed and then threw with all his strength. All of the cannons were blown apart, they were in the clear once again. "Thanks for the assist." said Lars flying down.

"That was risky, you had us worried." said 9S.

*Alien Manifestation (Vocals)*

"Yes, now let us proceed." said Adam, "Eve, blow down the doors."

Eve stepped up and punched the door once, shattering it. As the group made it inside, there were no machines for some reason. As they made it through, Lars grew suspicious, "Why are there no machines?" asked he.

"I do not know. Perhaps they're going to ambush us?" responded Adam. But there was no ambush. In fact, it was strangely quiet. "I don't understand. Where are the machines?" As they kept going, the entire group saw something that made  _all_ of them freeze. It was no machine, in fact it looked human.

"What?" asked 9S.

The "human" turned to look at them and drew his sword. "ANDROIDS!!" he screamed. When he did, alarms went off and more and more "humans" came out. They all heald lances, axes, swords, maces, any weapon that could match YoRHa's.

"Are we really fighting humans!?" asked Lars.

"Negative: Machine Cores detected." said Pod-153.

"Humanoid machines?" asked 2B, she looked at Adam and Eve. As the human-like machines began charging forward, the party readied to fight. 2B blocked a blade from one and she hit her back. As another charged, Adam kicked him into the ground and stomped on his head. Blood and  _human_  parts spurted everywhere. Eve punched a hole through one. But for some reason, 2B, 9S, and A2 couldn't fight. 2B was then slashed across the leg by a lance, as the machine was going to stab her, Lars came up and blocked the lance.

"2B!" shouted Lars, "You guys have to fight!"

"I can't! We can fight Adam and Eve, but a sensation is stopping us from fighting!" responded 2B.

"Damn!" said Lars, he broke the stance he and that machine were in and cut him across the stomach, killing him. He really did it... for some reason, he could kill Adam and Eve, and yet... why did he feel disgusted killing this one? Were these  _really_ humans? As he was stuck in this thought, another came up with an axe.

"You'll pay for what you did to Petract!" he screamed. But before he could bring his axe down on Lars' head, Eve grabbed him with the dark-arm and squeezed the life out of him. The blood that splashed on Lars' face made him come back into reality. 

"Don't stop!" shouted Eve, "They aren't human!" said he as he ripped one apart with his bare hands. Lars squeezed his sword and ran forward to one with a sword.

"Why do you fight?" asked the "human". He blocked Lars' sword, "We're one in the same!" Lars did his best to block him out, "You goddamn KILLER!!" screamed the enemy. He hit Lars' sword away. As his blade drew nearer, Lars thought that this was the end.

"BOY!" shouted Adam.

As Lars thought this was the end, someone jumped over his shoulder and stabbed the enemy through the head. It was A2, she had overpowered the sensation. "Don't you touch him..." she said. She grabbed her sword-mace and bisected another one.

"A2! How did you-" 

"Don't talk right now..." panted A2, "This sensation, is *ngh* really hard to overpower!" she groaned. As she decapitated a female enemy.

Lars wanted to help. But he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Adam, Eve, and A2 could fight. Why could he not? As the fight continued, these imitations did not appear to lower in numbers, and if this kept up, they won't get anywhere. Lars pointed his arm at 2B, "Hacking in!" he said.

"Wait, what're you-" but before 2B could finish that sentence, Lars was transferred into hacking space. He looked around and put his mask.

"Where do I eliminate that sensation?"

"Located: Destination is 'Human safety procedures'." said the mask. As Lars headed over, 2B's defense system began attacking him. But, he destroyed the system with ease. 

As he left hacking space, the air and the sounds hit him like a train. "That sensation, it's gone..." said 2B. "Thanks." she said to Lars, then she too went off to fight.

"Alright, hack me." said 9S.

As Lars did so, 9S' defense was harder to destroy. As he was defeated he was sent out of hacking space. Lars stumbled back and coughed out some blood. "Lars!" shouted 9S, he ran over to aid him.

"I'll be fine, hacking is a bit hard... But's let's try it again." said he. 9S nodded and stood back up. So Lars tried once again, this time he succeeded. 9S smiled and ran off to help the others in fighting. Yet, Lars did not participate. Did they really look that much like human? He looked at his hands, stained with blood. "These things are not human." he repeated to himself. As the enemy's number began to thin, one went after Lars. But, before Lars could react, he was stabbed from behind, by A2.

She looked at him with a look of concern, "What's wrong?" she asked.

"I-I... I can't do it. These guys, they look too much like humans, I can kill machines, but not these things?" asked he.

"Look, don't worry about it. We'll do the killing, just stay back." said A2, "Before we move on, hack me too will you?" Lars nodded and hacked her as well.

"Sensation should be gone." 

"Alright. We need to go to the head, that's where we'll find the-"  Adam was cut off by the entire structure shook with rumbling and sounds. "What's happening?" asked he.

Lars looked outside an opening, "We're moving." said he, "We have to get to the top now!" he said.

As the group began running to the top, Lars began slowing. This feeling, was the regret getting to him? Had he really taken another life? No, no, no, he hadn't. These thoughts continued to sink deeper into his mind, as the elevator stopped, they were ambushed by more and more of these humans. The others began fighting them off, Lars just stood there. "There's the one that killed Petract!" shouted one. He began charging towards Lars, surely it would end him had he not reacted. Lars brought his sword up to parry his lance, then as the lance was stuck to the ground, Lars drove his blade right through his chest, ending him. As his blood splashed all over Lars face, he realized that he had done it again.

"Kimer!" he heard a girl shout, she was running toward him with an axe, Lars evaded but she threw her axe at him. Lars hit it aside but he saw that she was heading straight for him. He could hardly feel her drop-kicking him, as he dropped to the floor, she picked up her axe. "This is for Kimer!" she screamed down at him. As she bought her axe down, Lars moved his head and narrowly evaded the axe and performed comet-dance. She screamed in agony as her skin roasted, "Please! HELP ME!!!" she screamed, "PUT IT OUT!!" she ran at him. Lars stabbed her out of desperation, ending her life. As the others mopped up, A2 looked at the shaking Lars.

"Come on." she said quietly.

"I-I killed them... I took their lives... A2, I killed them!" shouted he.

"Lars..." said A2, she didn't know what to say. "Look, I know, believe me I do. But right now, we don't have time for this. Alright?" she began tearing up and had a shaky voice now. But she wiped those tears away. "Look, they aren't alive."

"But, look at them. They have emotions, they have organs, and they felt pain..." Lars held his head with both hands, "I-I don't know if I can do this for any longer..." he looked at his sword. 

"Don't even think about it." said 9S, "If you die, I'll never forgive you. In fact, I'd probably make a copy of you and kill you all over again!" shouted he, "You never gave up on us, so we aren't giving up on you! You're my friend, Lars." 

"That's right..." said 2B, "You're not dying until I let you."

"Listen to them Lars, we  _need_ you..." said a shaky voice A2, " _I_ need you. Don't you ever leave us..."

 _"I'm so pathetic... So that's why I've got to change_ _._ _"_ thought Lars, "Yeah, you're all right..." he stood up with his sword,  _"These damn imitations, they aren't alive, they aren't alive, they're just copies."_ then, he shouted, "THEY'RE JUST MOCKERIES!!"

"That's the spirit!" shouted Eve.

"Yes, now. Onward!" shouted Adam. As they all ran closer to the head, they passed through several armed nukes. Only a half-hour until they launch.

 _"This feeling... regret."_ thought Lars,  _"No, no, no, I can't afford to hesitate. They aren't human. I'm not like them, I'm in no way like them. I've got the spirit of the lion, courage and strength..."_ he thought.

As they finally got to the top, there were several "humans" running the systems, and the core was within their grasp. "Don't let them destroy the core!" shouted a female. She was tall and lean, held a sword, and wore a some-what medieval dress. "Kill them all, and put the traitors' head on sticks!"

As the enemy rushed forward, all of them with weapons, so did the YoRHa forces. A2 cut right through one with her long-sword. As they all began fighting, Lars felt a sensation that made him sick,  _"Snap out of it!"_ thought he. As a female charged to him, he blocked her mace and cut her hand off, then her sliced her across the torso. As she fell to the ground, another jumped over her body, he had chain-whip. As he swung it, the chain wrapped around Lars' sword. As he began bringing Lars closer, Lars extended his arm-blade and sliced right through him.

The Pod-153 were shooting rapidly, but the bullets were blocked by ones with shields. One of them charged and knocked 9S to the ground. As he was going to crush 9S, he was grabbed by Lars' dark-arm and smashed against a wall, his blood and guts all over it. "Nines! You alright?" asked Lars.

"Yeah, I need to get to the core and hack it. But judging by the advanced design of it, I'll need help."

"No need to ask." responded Lars. "Let's clear a path for us!" he shouted.

"Understood." said 2B, she dashed forward and disappeared from sight. Then, it was as if she could be everywhere at once, she jumped and slashed everywhere, enemy pieces fell left and right everywhere, until the leader remained.

"You... YOU!" she screamed. As she did, the bodies of her soldiers rised and began attacking. "YOU KILLED MY PRECIOUS SOLDIERS!!! I WILL NOT FORGIVE YOU!"

As Adam and Eve started fighting, Adam slammed his fist into the ground and the energy pillars annihilated the zombies. "Go! Get the queen!" shouted Eve.

As the other four charged, the queen sang this time and swords and other weapons rose and began attacking them. "Shit..." cursed 9S. He deflected a sword and his pod shot down a mace.

"At this rate..." said Lars, "Cover me!" he shouted. He put on the mask and lunged for the queen. As weapons dove for him, 2B, 9S, and A2 began deflecting them. Finally, he was in front of the queen and she had no choice but to use her sword. As she blocked Lars' blade, A2 jumped and cut her arm off with her long-sword. She screamed in pain and she clamped her stump. She looked up only to see Lars stab her through the head. As she fell limp, the bodies did as well.

"We've done it, now to destroy the core." said 2B, "9S, Lars, you both need to hurry, look." she said. She pointed out of a window and saw that they were nearing the Resistance camp...

*Transition*

The Resistance screamed in horror, "Are we under attack again?!" shouted one.

"We need to run!"

"It's no use!"

"2B, 9S, A2, Lars, please. Hurry." said Anemone.

As the twins were helping everyone out, Devola looked up at the machine. "Come on Lars..."

*Transition* 

Lars and 9S both put their hands on the core and were both transported to hacking space. As they dodged enemy shots, more and more appeared. They shot one down, but ten more took it's place. They were bot decimated and sent into back into the real world. "Damn it." said 9S, "We have to try again."

They tried, only to fail. As they were going to try again, this time Adam, Eve, 2B, and A2 also joined in. "You guys! You guys can't hack!" shouted Lars.

"We'll never know unless we try!" said Eve.

As they were all sent into hacking space, they began to fare better, defenses fell left and right but only fifteen more seconds until it reached the base. They shot down the last few defenses.

Nine seconds...

The core was exposed now, they all rushed to it.

Four seconds...

They destroyed it, one last second and the Resistance would have never recovered. As they were sent into the real world, 2B blew an opening in the head and they all looked outside. 

*Stop music*

The wind blew and the sun shined. They had done it. As they looked down, they saw Resistance androids cheering. 9S, looked up in the air and saw YoRHa salvage teams descending. "What now?" asked 9S.

"Now, we are out of time." said Adam, he and Eve both began turning into light, as they both were now condensed balls of light, they floated back and entered Lars' body.  _"We will not be able to fight for a while."_ he said.

Lars said nothing, and as a shuttle came to extract him, he could not help but think about his first  _actual_ kills he made today. 

 

 

They're still haunting him...

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lars can hack because of his spine. It's connected to his brain and his arm.


	15. Assault

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A2 and Lars have to go back to the Bunker. As Lars continues on this path, the screams and vengeful cries of those lives he'd taken, still echo in his mind. And Lars will finally get his memories back, growing stronger. But strength may not be enough for the one he will one day face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tekken reference. Retcon (Maybe) And Nier reference.

"Let's see, we've got at least three-hundred nuclear-bombs. Am I correct?" asked 801S.

"Yup, that should be all of them." 9S responded. The both of them looked onward to the giant fortress being taken apart. "We're going to get a lot of data from this." he looked over at 2B, A2, and Lars with an operator.

"0C, and A2, the Commander has ordered that the both of you are to go back to the Bunker. She must speak with you both. Specifically  _you_  0C."

"Why are you calling me 0C?" asked Lars.

"You are a cyborg, and you had a prototype arm, making it a type-zero and you have generation zero booster. Make sense?"

"I guess, but why does the Commander need to speak with us?"

"Hell if I know. Just go. 2B, come with me." she said.

As Lars and A2 boarded the shuttle, Lars waved to 9S and he waved back. As they were traveling back to the Bunker Lars couldn't help but think about the lives he'd just taken. "A2?"

"What s it?" she responded.

"What was it like for you when you got your first android kill?"

"I don't know how to describe it, I felt sick, but I just moved on. Why?"

"Those people I killed today... I can still hear them..."

A2 sighed and held him close, "Don't dwell on it. Remember, we're here and we need you."

"Yeah... I guess you're right." said he.

As they finally got to the Bunker, the Commander was there to greet them. As the both of them stepped out she merely said, "Come with me." When they got to a private area, she turned. "A2, you're here because I have an assignment for you."

"What is it?" asked A2.

"We have a few YoRHa soldiers that want to incorporate your fighting style into their systems. We need you to demonstrate moves so they can be analyzed and transferred to the soldiers as data."

"Sure." As A2 was leaving, she looked behind her at Lars.  _"Lars, how can I help him?"_ she thought.

When the Commander and Lars were alone Lars asked, "White, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I need a report about Adam and Eve. And what you fought down there."

"First of all, it seems that Adam and Eve really  _are_ serious about helping me out. Adam even took control of me and made two bodies for him and Eve."

"Hmm... Very well, let him help for now. But still, keep an eye on them. Now, what did you fight down there? 9S told me that they were human-like machines. Is that true?"

"Yes. So true. In fact, 9S, A2, and 2B couldn't even fight at first. A sensation stopped them, and I had to destroy their safeties. But, that's not it. White, I-I killed a few of them..."

"So? What of it? You're killing the enemy. That is something to be proud of, isn't it?"

"No, that's not it... I feel... regret and disgusted with myself. I feel as if I took an actual life." Lars' head slumped down.

The Commander walked up and put her hand on his shoulder, "Listen, according to the report we got from 9S, they were human-like. But, they had machine cores. Therefore, that would make them human-like machines, like Adam and Eve."

"Right... They're not alive... They aren't..."

"Just take some time, this is hard for you, we were made to kill. You were not, just rest for now."

"White?"

"What is it?"

"If 2B, 9S, and A2 felt that sensation when we fought the enemy, why did 9S and 2B not feel it when they fought me? Their human safeties weren't destroyed then."

The Commander looked to be deep in thought, "It must be something else then. Those safety features are really nothing, we were just built with them to make humans being alive more believable. We were  _made_ to serve humans, so they were really just dummy files. Something else must be at hand."

"Alright." responded Lars.

"Anything else?" asked the Commander.

"Jinzo..." said Lars.

"What?"

"Jinzo, it means synthetic, or artificial. They're artificial humans..." 

"I suppose that makes sense, anyway that's enough. You need rest and food for your next mission, give me your bag and I'll take it to get resupplied. Go rest." Lars handed his bag over to her and she walked off.

As Lars walked to his room he saw the training room. He looked inside to see A2 and several other androids doing the fighting style he always did. He smiled and moved on. When he got to his room, food was already served. As he ate, he thought,  _"Adam. We need to talk."_

_"What is it?"_ asked he.

_"I need Eve to give me back my memories."_

_"Are you certain? Doing that may cause painful moments."_

_"Yes, I'm ready just give them back to_ _me."_

_"Eve?"_

_"Ready, Lars?"_ asked Eve.

_"Do it..."_

Lars felt a sudden surge and screamed. It was all flooding back to him, the pain, the suffering, the agony that he had to endure. As the plate clattered to the floor he scrambled on the floor. His screams were so loud, practically the entire Bunker could hear it. "What in the world?" asked the Commander.

"Lars?" asked A2, she dashed out of the door and the androids she trained followed.

Back in Lars' room he continued to scream as the pain stabbed him. The memories, his mother, his father, his entire life entered his mind all at one, it was almost too much. "M-MOTHER!! DON'T LEAVE ME!! FATHER!!! NOT YOU TOO!!!" then it stopped. Lars panted heavily as tears traveled down his face. It had stopped in an instant, he had all his memories now. 

_"I warned you..."_ said Adam.

"And I thank you." said Lars, he opened both his hands and looked at them. As he held a fist and opened it back up, lightning surged across his hands and his arms. "My elements. So I'm one of a kind, eh?"

"OPEN THE DOOR!" he heard someone shout outside. It was the Commander.

"Coming!" Lars called, as he opened his door, he saw that several androids were there with the Commander, A2 included. "Geez, if I knew how many of you guys  were going to be here, I would've prepared tea and cakes." he smiled. He wiped the tears from his face, "Are there any operators in that crowd of your's, White?"

"What happened?" asked the Commander, "Your screams could be heard through the entire Bunker. Are you alright?"

A2 stepped forth, "Lars? What's going on?"

"I have my memories, bring an operator or two at once." Lars said as another tear traveled down his face.

A minute or two later, 21O and 6O appeared. "Leave us." the Commander told the rest. When they left she sat down on a chair. "Let's begin."

"Name?" asked 21O, well this seemed nostalgic.

"Lars Murasaki. But after my father died, I decided to rename myself to Lars Alexandersson."

"Birth date?" asked 6O.

"March third, two-thousand three."

"Now, please tell us about your life." said 21O. "6O, begin recording."

"I was born on March third, two-thousand three. My parents were both from a place called Sweden, my father being half Japanese. In my world, apparently humans always had the capability to use magic, but it did not surface until nineteen forty-eight. After that date guns were marked obsolete and was replaced by bombs, magic, swords, and other close-range weapons."

"Go on."

"Everybody is born with one trait of their own. They get two from their parents, this'll determine their kind of magic. I'm rare, I was born with three traits. Universe, darkness, and fire I can do dark spells and open portals. But, according to my memories, I never truly mastered universe, I can open up short range portals but not travel between dimensions. However I did master darkness, and fire which would explain why I can do the dark and fire spells so well. And lightning is something I got from my parents. Red lighting from my mother, and blue from my dad. Which resulted me in having purple."

"Who were your parents?"

"Rachel Alexandersson is my mother. She was a soldier. My father was a master martial artist, he and my mother taught me everything about the martial arts I do. But I mixed it with my mother's fighting style. Lucas Murasaki was his name. I mixed the Murasaki fighting style with the Alexandersson's. The outcome was the style I do now."

"We're getting off topic, your life please." said 6O.

"Right, well ever since I was young, I was raised in Solvang California, a village like place that is based off another nation called 'Denmark'. My mother would often leave because of her duties about the military, so my father, and his friends raised me. There was Nier, my father's childhood friend. His wife, Jenni, his daughter, Yonah. Kainé, and her friend Emil. Oh! And I can't forget Grimoire Weiss, Nier's floating book companion. There was also a girl around my age, I think her name was Zero. We would cook together and do martial arts and magic. He also had lighting so he helped me master both fire and lighting." Lars opened his hand and a surge of lighting crossed through his arm, "Lightning is more of a melee spell, I need to hit while fire is ranged. Eventually, World-War III happened. It started when I was nine, my mother, Nier, and Weiss went to fight. After five years, I was fourteen now and that's the year that the war ended, but my world fell apart as well." He took a deep breath, "My mother was dead... It was Nier and Weiss who delivered the news. I remember my father sink to his knees and I could not believe my ears. I was in shock... the very next day... my father followed. He had died of a broken heart." tears slid down his face.

"Do you need to stop?" asked A2.

"No, I'm good. Anyway, it didn't take long for the government realize that we weren't paying our bills anymore. When the tax collectors finally came, I left. First, I thought about going to Nier, but his home was miles away, in a place called San Gabriel. Then I thought about Kainé, but she lived in San Gabriel as well. So I realized that I was going to have to walk over one-hundred miles, it's not like I could use a portal, my emotional state was at an all-time low. It took me days, step after step, my ankles burned. Everyday, I would walk until I couldn't, I completely lost all hope..." he breathed heavily, "I just sat down in a corner and waited for the end to come, just a malnourished kid, like several other kids who lost their parents in the wretched war. But, a portal opened before my very eyes and sucked me in. I now know that it was Adam who opened that portal, and I'm kind of glad he did. Otherwise, I would've never met all of you.

6O wiped a tear of her face and 21O sniffed a bit, even the Commander was wiping her face and A2 held him close, "Did I really move you guys with my past?" asked he.

"I-I-it's just so sad!!" wailed 6O.

"Yes, it was... sad..." said 21O.

"Wow, I'm pretty sure you guys have heard sadder, but okay." said Lars. "White, can I go back down to Earth? I feel refreshed enough."

"Are you certain?" asked the Commander.

"Yep, I want to field-test my memories."

"Very well, A2 go with him. We'll analyze when we have more of out combat units here. You two, archive his story, especially the parts about magic." 

"Yes, ma'am." said the two operators, they left the room along with the Commander. But before leaving, she put his bag on the counter, it had bars in it and water.

"I'll update you on your mission after you get to Earth." she said and left.

"Ready to go?" asked Lars, he put on his gear.

"Let's get to the hangar."

"No need." Lars held out his hand. And a portal opened, A2 peered through it and saw Resistance members taring in awe through the portal. As 2B and 9S walked into sight, A2 and Lars walked through the portal. He closed it behind him and looked around, "You guys never seen a portal before?" asked he.

"No." he heard one say.

"Well get used to it, people." smiled Lars.

"How did you do that?" asked 9S.

"It's one of my traits, I got my memories back."

"W-what?" asked 2B. "Your memories?"

"I asked Eve to give 'em back. Pretty painful, the entire bunker could hear my screams, or so White said." said Lars, "Come on, let's do some things for the Resistance, I'd like to try out my full fighting potential."

"Alright." chuckled 9S, "Let's go talk to Anemone."

When they walked over to her, she looked as if she were expecting them. "Oh! 2B. Perfect timing, machines in the area have been terrorizing our scavenge teams. You guys think you can take care of them?"

"Yeah, we'll do it." said 2B, as she and Anemone continued to talk, Lars walked over to Devola and Popola.

"Hey." he said.

"What's up?" asked Devola.

"Well, I have my memories back."

"What?" asked Popola, "That's wonderful!"

"I know right, look." he raised a dark-wall and did all the other dark spells.

"When did you master these?" asked Devola.

"When I was back in my world, turns out darkness is one of my natural traits."

"Traits?" both of them asked at the same time.

"Yeah, everyone has three traits one of their own, and two from their parents. That'll determine what magic they use. Me, being one of a kind was born with three traits and inherited one from my parents. I was born with Universe, portal opening, fire, the flame spells I do, and darkness, the dark spells you guys can do. And I got lightning from both my parents." he let lightning surge through his arm.

"That's... really awesome, we were  _made_ with the capability to do one kind of spell, and you were born with the ability to do multiple?" asked Popola.

"Yeah, I guess." responded Lars, "Anyway. It looks like Anemone is done talking. Could you guys prepare mackerel later?" asked he.

"Sure, you like mackerel?" asked Devola.

"Yeah, it's my favorite. Bye!" he ran off to the others.

*An hour later* 

Lars slammed his palm into a machine, lightning surged all over it and it exploded. He turned to see a machine try and punch him, put he took the arm and kicked it into a stone wall, exploding.

"Wow, you just destroyed twenty-six machines in sixty-four seconds." stated 9S, "Even 2B can't do that."

"Pretty awesome right?" Lars looked at his fist and the lightning surged through it. "The Jinzo have no chance in hell in beating me..." he smiled.

"Jinzo?" asked 2B.

"The 'humans' we're fighting now, oh yeah, turns out something else is going on."

"What do you mean?" asked 2B.

"When we first fought them, you guys felt a sensation that stopped you guys from fighting right?"

"Right."

"Why didn't you guys feel it when we first fought?"

"Good question, now that I think about it. Why didn't we feel it?" asked 9S.

"Let's hope we find out sooner or later." 

Pod-042 then opened up a holographic screen with 6O on it, except she was taking a break from her usual quirky side, "2B, the Commander has issued an order that you and your team will go to the abandoned factory and meet up with unit 18G's squadron."

"Why?" asked A2.

"We're going to take over the factory, clear out any hostiles but make sure you do your best not to destroy any of the consoles. 6O out."

*Alien manifestation*

"Alright, let's go." said 2B, she and the other three began to run over to the factory, as they looked up, a few flight units roared overhead heading to the factory, many others were already there starting a bombing run. But, there was no response from the enemy. Until a giant beam fired into the air, destroying two flight units. Then planes began flying out. Like, legit fighter jets, it was the Jinzo.

When the four already got there, the Jinzo and the YoRHa units they were supposed to meet with were already locked in a fire fight. YoRHa troops took cover behind these metal crates and fired when they could. "What's the situation?" asked 9S to an android who Lars assumed was 18G.

"We're trying to break their lines, but the defenses they have are tough. Our mortars and mini-guns can't even scratch their shields. And we've already lost seven of us. Only thirty-one of us left." an explosion blew dust all over them. "Unless you have any ideas, we're stuck at this stalemate."

"I think I have an idea." said Lars, "Can you order all your troops to get behind me?"

"What're you planning?" asked 18G. 

"It's a one shot plan, I'm going to blow 'em all away." he stuck both arms out slowly and his dark arms formed. 18G nodded and ordered her remaining troops to group up. As they began to run, Lars put both arms in front, blocking all of the Jinzo's shots. He then swung both arms outward, swatting all of the Jinzo away. Their path was now clear. As they made their way inside the factory Jinzo were everywhere, they opened fire on them. Hold on, were they advancing? Lars looked at them, they were using weapons like guns now, but they still held swords and their other weapons. 

Lars used his dark arms to destroy the balconies they stood on. As they fell, the YoRHa troops advanced. The more they moved through the factory, the number of Jinzo grew. Lars remembered the factory from before, there could be traps everywhere, Jinzo could be right behind them and he could not even know. As they kept advancing, they finally reached a room that had a Clover symbol on it. It was also adorned with a "J". "What's this?" asked 2B.

"You four go inside, according to our intel, this is their leader's room. The remaining enemies should be in there as well, if any show up, we'll hold 'em at this entrance." said 18G. An explosion shook the entire factory and blew a hole in the ceiling allowing the sounds of battle from the inside to come in. "Better hurry." said she. 2B, A2, 9S, and Lars all entered the room and 18G and her squad pointed their weapons in all directions.

"Do you really think that they'll be able to-" the android was cut off by 18G shushing her.

"Who's there?" asked 18G. Footsteps could be heard as a figure emerged from the shadows. He wore a white long-coat, and had a right mechanical arm that looked as if it belonged to a monster. He had a sheathed sword on a scabbard on the back of his waist and wore a white mask with shining yellow eyes, with ten tendrils in his neck.

"What the?" asked one of the androids. "Who the hell are you?!"

The figure said nothing, but looked at the dead Jinzo around. "What have you done to my people?" asked he, "Why can't you all understand? We just want to live..." he looked up and drew his sword, "I will not forgive any of you!" he lunged forward.

"SHOOT HIM DOWN!!" screamed 18G, right before she was decapitated.

*Transition*

"Alert: Allied YoRHa units engaged with unknown entity." stated Pod-153.

"What? Unknown entity?" asked 9S.

"We can't turn back now, knowing 18G, she and her squad should be fine." said 2B.

"We're here." said A2, they all walked into a room with a single person sitting there, he wore very fancy clothing. His hat covered the top of his head, he was tall and lean and looked much like the leader they fought before. He was tall and lean and wore what looked like robes. He appeared to be holding a staff or a scepter of some sort. 

"So... Are you the androids that're killing my servants?" asked he. "Especially you." he pointed at Lars, "Why do you side with them? And not with us, the humans?"

"Human? Don't make me laugh, you Jinzo aren't human, you're just copies." spat Lars.

"Such a shame, our leader wants so much with you, hopefully he does not care if I kill you here. You killed my queen, I will not forgive you for that."

He lunged forward and tried to hit Lars, but he quickly drew his arm blade and blocked it. But when Lars attempted to cut his staff with the sonic vibrations, it didn't work. In fact, the enemy just hit him aside. 2B jumped from behind and tried to slash him, but before her blade could make contact, a rune surrounded him and blocked her sword. "You dare try and attack a royal from behind?" he hit 2B aside, "Fools! You face the Jack of Clubs!" 

A2 jumped forward and tried to stab him but the runes blocked it once again. The Jack took out some kind of stone and muttered something, suddenly a magic circle appeared in front of A2 and exploded. She was sent flying back, cuts, bruises, and burns all over her body. "A2!" shouted Lars, he  ran over to her. He saw a particular big gash and applied staunching gel to it. After he did so, he got her to safety "Stay here." said he. Lightning surged through his entire body and he ran forward and hit the Jack, his field blocking it. As Lars kept persisting, he sent a wave of lightning into it, shattering his field.

"You wield magic? Now I understand why Sral has so much interest in you."

"Sral?" asked Lars.

"Forget about him! You face the-" he was cut off by 9S cutting his back. He hit 9S aside with his staff and looked as he wanted to cry. "Damn you! Where are your manners?"

"Forget about me?" shouted Lars, he humped up and threw a comet at him. As the smoke cleared, the Jack showed his charred face. 

"DAMN YOU ALL!!!!" he screamed, he threw stones everywhere, all of them making these weird circles and sending all kinds of things everywhere, Lars activated his time manipulation and destroyed all projectile before they reached any of his friends. As he stopped, the Jack only screamed more. 2B jumped at cut his arm off, as he screamed more and more, 9S charged with Lars and stabbed him right in the abdomen, while Lars stabbed him through the machine core. The Jack fell onto the ground, and a pool of blood formed.

*Fade*

"Let's rendezvous with 18G." said 9S.

Lars nodded and went to help A2 up, she was pretty injured, that explosion was made of magic after all. As they were walking through the corridor, the entire area had grown silent. As the doors opened up, they were all met with sheer horror. Android parts were everywhere, their synthetic bones scattered, some bodies were just mangled and others where killed by a sword. One android's jaw was out of place and her limbs were all bent the other way, another had the left half of her torso missing, and a pike with 18G's head on it was also there to greet them, where was her body? A fight had gone down, but who had killed them all? There can't possibly be someone  _this_ powerful could there?

"If you are all here, that can only mean you've took another precious subordinate from me." said a voice.

"Who's there?" asked Lars, he drew his sword.

"He may have been weak, and yet you still slaughtered him." continued the unknown entity.

"Show yourself!" said a weak A2.

"Very well..." someone dropped from the ceiling. His clothing was exactly like Lars' his cybernetic arm was on his right side though, a mask hid his face.

"Who are you?" asked Lars, he pointed his sword at him.

The figure took the mask and slowly removed it to reveal... Lars? Everyone gasped. "Hello Lars." said he,

"Wha- What are you?"

"It's  _who_ are you. And I'm you. Well, this world's version of you." 

" _I'm_ a Jinzo?"

"Yes, allow me to ask a question. Why do you continue to kill my people?"

"They're in my way."

"What? That's hardly a reason! I care for my people! You are supposed to me! And vice versa, we're supposed to care for our people!"

"Yeah, I do care for my people, the androids I've grown fond of."

"Then you must die, if any threat comes to my people, it's my job as the Ace of Spades to eliminate them!" he donned his mask and ten tendrils came out, Lars did the same, but only two came out.

As the Ace drew his sword, Lars readied himself, this fight will be a hard one indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think "jinzo" means artificial in Japanese. Or synthetic.  
> It's pretty bad, but I'm out of practice, please bear with me.


	16. Identity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who is this person who claims to be this world's Lars? And shall Lars get stronger?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meh, I still suck.  
> (Visit of one of my favorite characters from the entire franchise!)

The swords clashed, the sounds spread throughout the entire factory. As Lars swung his sword in every angle, his enemy countered, no matter what he did none of his attacks could land. The enemy blocked every single one of his attacks, but Lars could only block  _some_ of his attacks. "Damn." panted Lars.

"What's wrong? Not so strong now are you?" asked the enemy. He slashed Lars across the chest.

"AGH!" screamed Lars, he held his wound with his right hand. He activated his time manipulation, and tried to get behind the enemy, but he activated his own time manipulation and began to block Lars' attacks once again. As they battled, only the sounds could be heard by the others. "Who. Are. YOU!" shouted Lars.

"It's simple, I'm you!" retorted his enemy, "But you need to die! I will not allow you to kill any more of my people!" 

As both of their time manipulations deactivated, they both fell back into sight. Only Lars was on the ground with several cuts and wounds. "Lars!" shouted 9S. As he charged forward to fight the enemy, so did 2B. A2 managed to gather enough strength to stand on her own and also charged in. "STOP! HE'S TOO STRONG FOR YOU GUYS!!" screamed Lars. But they didn't stop.

9S' sword clashed with the enemy's, he hit the blade up and slashed 9S. As 9S fell to the ground coughing up blood, 2B jumped over him and crossed swords with the opponent, A2 ran behind him and readied to stab him. "Is this all you pathetic androids can do?! PATHETIC!" he shouted, he kicked A2 aside and twirled his sword around 2B's, throwing it aside. He punched her and her back was faced towards him, he then stabbed her through the stomach from behind. 2B gurgled as she fell to her knees.

As A2 began fighting him, Lars could only try and get up. His friends were dying right in front of him, and there was nothing he could do. Then he thought about the ten tendrils 2B once activated, "Hey, mask, he has ten tendrils in his neck. Try that for me, would you?"

"Negative: This action could potentially overload the nerval and brain systems of YoRHa unit 0C."

"I DON'T CARE! MY FRIENDS ARE DYING!! DISABLE SAFETY!!"

*Emil (Karma)*

Eight more tendrils came out and all dug into his nape. As he got up, A2 was cut across the chest and also fell to the ground, she looked in horror to see Lars screaming in pain. So much data was entering his mind at once, it was enough to overload his mind. "NO! I'M NOT GONNA LET THIS STOP ME!!!" screamed Lars. He got back up and white eyes flashed instead of the blue ones.

"Vitals, returning to normal. YoRHa Generation Zero Booster: overdrive activated." 

Lars couldn't feel the pain anymore, had it cut off his nerval systems? As Lars ran forward, the other three looked on, even 2B. "He... did it... that idiot..." said 2B. She then blacked out.

As Lars and his enemy crossed swords, he could actually keep up with him now, his hits were landing and he could block more and more of his attacks. "You may be as powerful as me right now!" he almost was cut across his side, "But you still have no chance in hell in beating me!" he stabbed Lars right through his abdomen area. But Lars didn't feel it at all. In fact, he threw a comet at close range, the following explosion had sent both of them flying back. "Bastard!" shouted the other one.

As they both got back up, Lars bled out of his wound, but he really couldn't feel it. "You bastard, you hurt my friends, now  _I'll_ never forgive you!" Lars ran forward.

"I didn't ask for your forgiveness!" shouted the other one, running forward.

"Neither did I!"

As their swords clashed, 9S crawled over to 2B, "Pod, apply staunching gel! Pod-042, go do A2!"

"Affirmative."

As Pod-153 tended to 2B, Pod-042 to A2, 9S looked over to Lars and the enemy, both slashing each other. "You can't feel pain can you?"

"So what?" asked Lars as he cut the other's leg.

"So you don't know your limits! That's the con of feeling no pain!" he cut Lars' across his hip. Lars knew he was right deep down. He was losing stability and it was growing harder to stay awake. As he kept fighting, he glanced over and saw that 2B and A2 had all their wounds covered. All he needed to do now was defeat this guy. He extended his sonic blade and began using both weapons, his enemy did the same. As they continued to fight, 9S managed to stand and picked up his sword.

"Providing support!" shouted he and he charged in.

As 9S and Lars both began fighting the enemy, 9S was landing his hits as well, the enemy stumbled, he started to grow frantic. "How is this possible? I'm losing?" 9S threw his sword at him, this time cutting his mechanical arm's blade off. Lars then sweeped him, but before he could stab him, he activated his time manipulation and got out of the way. As the continued to fight, Lars struggled to keep awake, yet he continued to fight.

As 9S clashed with the enemy. Lars hit him with seven flames and 9S grabbed his pod and shot a bomb at him, sending him flying back. Finally, Lars did something he once did in his memories, he sent some kind of shadow forward, it slashed the opponent and sent him flying back even more. "That one's Dark-Phantasm." said he. He ran forward and cut him one more time.

*Fade*

The enemy got back up and tore his mask off, revealing his bloody face. "How?" he panted. "No matter, you may have won this one. But look at yourself! The next time we meet, it will be your end!"

"Yeah, sure." panted Lars.

"There is but one thing I wish for you to remember other than your inevitable death."

"What's that?"

"Sral, that is my name." before anyone else could say anything, he turned into light and flew off.

"Contacting command." said 9S. "Lars?"

The mask had fallen off Lars' face, as it clattered on the ground, Lars dropped his sword and fell to his knees. He really couldn't stay awake anymore. He could only hear A2 and 9S shouting his name before completely blacking out...

 

 

*Cello suite No.1 in G major Bach*

"Wake up. Come on." he heard someone say. He opened his eyes to see that he was lying on a couch on white couch. Eve was standing over him, and Adam bought a glass of water over. Lars looked around to see he was in a house where everything was white, his clothes were his pajamas, and his wounds were nowhere to be seen. Where was he?

"Welcome, to your mind." said Adam, he gave Lars the water.

"Can I actually drink this? I mean, this is my mind isn't it?" asked Lars.

"Yes, it'll actually quench your thirst."

Lars drank the water and he actually felt like he was drinking water, it was nice and cold. He also noticed the amount of books lying around, "What's with those? And why do I hear classical music?"

"Well, ever since we've been dormant, I've been researching, and what better to listen to then Johann Bach?"

"Oh, I see. So what's happening right now? Like, outside?"

"Well, right now, you and your comrades are being transported to the Bunker, look out the window and you'll see."

Lars stepped to the window to see what was happening out on the outside, he was being carried out of a shuttle and to the medical bay. "Great."

"Looks like you'll be in here with us for a while." said Eve, he bit an apple. "Want one?" he picked up an apple from the bowl.

"Can I actually eat this as well?"

"Well,  _I'm_ eating it. So I guess?"

Lars took the apple and bit into it. It was real alright. "Did you learn anything about the Jinzo?"

"Well, I've something to tell you."

"Alright, what is it?"

"It turns out these beings we now fight were created by the network long ago in the first machine war. Weapons like humans built so well, they can age if they want to and feel emotion." he continued, "But when they were created, all of them went AWOL because of their emotions. Somehow over time, they've created their own kingdom and a system of hierarchy."

"What about Sral?" asked Lars.

"Ah, him. Don't listen to his absurd claims about being this universe's version of you, he's merely... a copy."

"A copy?"

"Yes, they can somehow look onto other universes and when they saw you, they were intrigued. So they created a copy of you, equal in strength if not stronger."

"Why does he think that he is this universe's version of me?"

"It's simple, he was created that way. He was given the memories of this world's _actual_ version of you, the heroic murderer... Sral. But, he died long ago."

"Hey, brother? It looks like Lars is waking up again." said Eve, he pointed out the door. Lars could feel himself passing out, returning to the real world.

"We'll talk more later." said Adam.

Before Lars could respond, he was literally dragged out of his mind and back into reality. 

 

 

His hand was being held. It was his room, a blinding white light had soaked all over his face, he let his eyes adjust. Someone sniffed... was someone crying? Lars tilted his eyes to see who was holding his hand. It was A2, her face was covered in tears, she was crying? 

"A2?" asked Lars weakly.

She looked up, and her eyes widened. She immediately let go of his hands and wrapped her arms around him. "Your vitals... They were off for so long... But they came back online." she wiped the tears from her eyes. "So I just stayed by your side, and hoped... I'm so glad you're alright!" she cried some more. "I...  _we_ all though we'd lost you." she finally stopped her tears. "But you're alive, and that's all that matters." she let go of him.

"W-where am I?" Lars felt his nape, now there were  _ten_ gaping holes in his nape instead of two. 

"You're in your room. 2B's recovering and 9S is doing maintenance. The Commander has ordered you to take it easy, you aren't going on another mission for a while. Look, your wounds are still healing. And 19H has thought of something for those holes on you nape."

"What's gonna happen?" 

"You are getting implants in those holes to boost synchronization and reduce damage on yourself, the medics really worked themselves to make them. Look, I'll be back later, just get some rest." A2 left the room, leaving Lars. All he could do now is just go to sleep, as he laid in bed, he could only think about how much he wanted to kill Sral now...

 

*Transition*

 

A2 walked out and sighed. As the door behind her closed, 9S walked over, supporting 2B. "Is he alright?" asked 2B.

"Yeah, he should be fine. So, should we bring 'him' over?" asked A2, "I mean, he was mentioned when I was listening to his memories."

"Well, he  _can_ disconnect himself from that auto-mobile body of his, so I guess." said 9S.

"Alright, did you contact him?"

"Yeah, we did. How do you plan to bring him over?" asked 2B.

"I can copy any move I see, should be simple. Sometimes, being an older model really helps." A2 raised her hand and opened up a small portal. 9S looked though the portal and gestured a hand signal.

"You can come on in." he said.

"Alright." said a child on the other side. As a little moon rolled through the portal, it looked up. "So, why do you guys want me here?" asked the moon.

"Listen, round thing." said A2, "I mean, Emil, look, our friend mentioned you when he got his memories back. He said that you and this girl named Kainé were good friends."

"Huh? Kainé?" asked Emil, "How does he know her?"

"He's apparently from another world." said 2B.

"Really? There's a me and a Kainé in that world?" asked Emil.

"Yeah, according to him." said A2.

"Then, I really want to meet this guy!" shouted Emil, "What's his name?"

"Lars, great guy. Let me go wake him, A2 could you support 2B?" asked 9S. A2 slung 2B's arm over her head and helped her stand, 2B picked Emil up.

 

*Transition*

 

Lars was really starting to go to sleep, but just as he was about to close his eyes, the door slid open. "Who's there?" asked he.

"Lars?" asked 9S.

"Nines? I was about to go to sleep." 

"Sorry to interrupt you, but there's someone we want you to meet." said 9S, "Okay, come on in."

A2 and 2B came in, except Lars noticed that 2B, held some smiling moon thing in her arm. "Can I see that?" asked Lars out of curiosity.

2B nodded and handed Emil over to Lars, he sat up and held the head with both of his hands, the head was shaking, did he really look that scary? "U-um... Are you Lars?" asked Emil.

"Emil?" asked Lars.

"Huh?" all of them went, "W-wait, Lars, how do you already know that's Emil?" asked 9S.

"Nines, please, he  _real_ question is, what is he doing in his other body and not in his regular one? Wait, if you're here, then what about Nier? Weiss? Kainé?"

"Whoa whoa whoa! Slow down!" said Emil.

"Right, sorry. Got a little excited." chuckled Lars.

"They're dead for all I know." said Emil grimly, "And this  _is_ my body. It was changed."

"Huh. Back in my world, you could  _alternate_ your bodies."

"So, you really  _are_ from another world?" asked Emil.

"That's right," he looked at the head, "Emil, listen, I know how hard it is for you to be alone out here in this world, how about this, you wanna go to my home with us?"

Emil gasped a bit, "I-I would like nothing more! Will I meet Kainé again?"

"Hell yeah you will. But, why were you bought here in the first place?"

"We heard from A2 that you knew someone named Emil, so we decided to check if this is the Emil you're talking about." said 2B.

"But,  _how_ did you get him here?"

"I can copy each and every single one of your abilities, older models can do that." said A2, "Don't know why though."

"Sweet." said Lars, "Well, Emil, would you like to stay?"

"Sorry, he can't. If the other androids see him here, he'll probably be confiscated. We can't risk that." said 9S.

"Well, then we best get you sent back. It's a promise." Lars smiled then asked, "Where should I send you?"

"Just open a portal to the shopping center." said Emil, "That's where my body is."

"Alright then, I'll get you there." Lars opened up a portal to the desired place and saw his "Body". "Geez." said he.

"Yeah, it's how I get around." responded Emil. As he began rolling though, he jumped back up into his little car body, "Oh! Let me give you this!" said he. He extended an arm behind him and took some kind of short sword. He reached through the portal and gave it to Lars, as Lars took it, Emil let go and Lars could immediately feel immense weight, this thing was heavy! "I have no use for it, so you can have it! It seems to fit you, anyway. Well then, bye!" as the portal closed, Lars stood up with the entire thing.

As he drew the blade completely, it nearly fell to the ground. He studied it, the sword itself was rather short, like a machete. The entire blade was a bit curved, detailed with red lines on each side. "Geez, how heavy is this thing?" asked Lars.

2B took the blade and even she was quite shocked, "This is about as heavy as Virtuous Treaty?" asked she.

9S took the sword, "No way!" he exclaimed. "This tiny sword is as heavy as a YoRHa heavy weapon." he gave it back to Lars.

"And it's so small." said A2.

"Well, it's settled, Emil's coming with us." said Lars, "Now, can I sleep for a bit?" Lars asked sheepishly.

"Yeah, we'll leave you to that." said 9S. As everyone left the room, Lars put the sword on his counter and climbed into bed. Now all he could think about was how happy he was to see an  old friend in his universe.

 

*Fast forward three hours*

 

"0C? Wake up please." asked an android.

"0C?" asked Lars.

"Your official designation." Lars wiped his eyes to see that it was 19H.

"Yeah, if you're gonna call me that, I'm just going to call you 'Doc'." responded Lars.

"Fair enough, it's time for your scheduled surgery, please climb onto the cot."

"Geez, this is like, what? The  _third_  upgrade surgery I've had?"

"Yes, the first time was when you're getting your first arm, then your second arm, then-"

"It was rhetorical, Doc."

"Just climb onto the cot." said an annoyed 19H.

As Lars was rolled through the halls, and into the surgery room, he saw that there was no anesthetic. "Um... Aren't I supposed to get knocked out?" asked he.

"Don't worry, it'll be painless." said 19H, she removed his shirt and put a gown over him. 

"Turning off artificial gravity." said android, there was a large beep and Lars could feel him float. He was guided into some kind of contraption that held him into place. Again, a screen turned on with the Commander on it. 

"This is 81H; we are ready to install the synchronization modules. Awaiting permission."

"Permission granted, you may start." White responded.

"Understood," said 81H, “Team H-107-0-0, prepare to begin the operation: 8-0-2.” as Lars could only rely on his ears, he could hear an android pick something up. He glanced on the ground and saw her carrying some kind of container. As 81H and 19H both picked up two, they walked over to Lars and placed them onto his neck, they continued until all ten were in place. "You're going to feel a bit of pressure." said 81H.

Lars could hear some kind of machine activate. It was some kind of drill or something. As the machine dropped down it placed it's heads on the implants and pressed down. A whirring sound and Lars could feel something being pushed in his neck. He felt data stream into his brain, no pain though. This continued until finally, the last pair of implants were screwed in. As he was released from the machine holding him in place. He felt a bit dizzy and stumbled a bit as the gravity came back on. "Don't worry that's completely normal." reassured an android

"The dizziness?" asked Lars.

"Yes." said 81H. "You should be able to operate your flight unit and use your mask better now. You can use all ten tendrils for the flight unit and mask, but I don't recommend using all ten at once for the mask. All of that instant data on top of the data that these modules each have will break your mind, in other words, you'll goo berserk and destroy all around you. So take it slowly, but even then, be careful; taking it slow doesn't stop the data flow completely." warned she.

Lars touched where the holes used to be, instead of having his fingers sink in, he felt something metal on those spots. "Can I see what they look like?" asked Lars.

One of the androids snapped a photo and showed it to Lars. It looked like little black circles in his neck, they had some kind of azure light emitting from them and had what appeared to be small little openings for the actual tendrils. "So, this will boost my synchronization?" asked Lars.

"That is correct." said 81H, "You may leave."

Lars walked out of the operating room and back to his quarters, his coat was there, not a single cut or scratch to be seen. It was also perfectly cleaned. As Lars put all of his clothes on, he also grabbed his gear. He put Caim's sword on the back of his waist and picked up Emil's gift and put it on the left side of his hip. Still heavy. He then was about to grab the mask, but stopped himself.

"Not yet." said he. He walked out the door and began heading to the sparring room.

Lars stood in front of the door and took a deep breath.

"Let's do this." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sral's sword is like Inuart's from Drakengard 1.  
> Pronounced "Shrawl".  
> And for Lars' new sword, search up Lars Alexandersson cosplay and look at the picture of a guy holding a sword, that's his new blade.


	17. Village

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Lars vs. A2, who shall be the victor of this fight?  
> And what is Sral up to?  
> New mission... to Sweden...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm officially on spring break!!  
> That means I might be able to write more!!  
> Title needs work though.  
> Nov. 18: The Swedish was different than before because I don't know jack S*** about it, but it's thanks to an amazing commenter that it was corrected.

The door slid open to quite a sight, 27D, 37B, and 61B the androids from before, were all getting beaten up by none other than A2, while 2B and 9S watched. As A2 slammed her leg into 61B, 37B attempted to punch her from behind. A2 saw right through this and grabbed her arm, throwing her into 27D. The three were finished, they had bruises and were dripping blood from everywhere, and not a scratch on A2. Lars walked further into to sight, his healing wounds ached and felt sore, but he kept going. As A2 laid her eyes on him, she looked rather surprised.

"Lars? What're you doing here?" asked she.

2B and 9S both looked behind them and saw Lars, "Wait! Hold on, you  _just_ had your surgery, and now you want to fight?! What about your wounds? You don't heal as fast remember?" asked 9S.

"Relax, I'll be just fine." said Lars. "Plus, I wanna test out how well these things work." Lars pointed to his nape and 2B and 9S saw the implants.

"You sure about this?" asked 2B.

"Yeah, I've been aching to fight A2, I  _need_ that rematch." smiled Lars. With his memories, he should stand a better chance.

As he dropped his swords and gear, A2 took off her armor, sleeves, sash, and the furs. Leaving just plain grey clothes. "That long coat is going to get in the way. Is it?"

"Yeah, I guess." Lars removed his coat, wait... His coat had never been a hindered him before, did A2 just want to see him shirtless? Oh well, she was right, those accents would get in the way. As Lars prepared his fighting stance, so did A2. She was using standard YoRHa fighting styles for now. Lars had lightning surged around him. 

*Karma Tekken 6 (Extended)*

"I'll hold back a bit." said A2.

"Don't, you wouldn't wanna insult me would you?" asked Lars.

"I guess not." responded she.

Lars was the first to jump forward and attack first, he attempted to kick A2, but she evaded and managed to throw him aside. Lars managed to land on his feet and ran back forward. A2 threw a straight at Lars but he ducked and slid on his feet (Dynamic entry) and upper cutted her. A2 let out a grunt and attempted to do a sweeping kick. But Lars saw right through this and jumped up. He grabbed her by the shoulders and did a flip in the air. It was hard but he slammed her into the ground. She flipped back up only to to see that Lars was gone. She used her ears and heard that Lars was right behind her.

She kicked behind her and right into Lars' stomach area. She had hit him where he was stabbed. It hurt like crazy, but Lars managed to endure the pain, she may be barefoot at the moment, but she was still an android. Lars got back up and did a sweeping kick, A2 naturally jumped and Lars swing his right arm up and hit A2 into the air. Lars then slid to the backside of where A2 would fall and hit her before she hit the ground.

As A2 got back up, she was pretty beat up now. But she had analyzed his moves enough to be able to copy the ones he had done. As Lars' attacks collided with A2's, she could keep up with him now. He was going to have to use more and more moves to beat her before she beat him. Lars swung his right arm out and his left arm in, it sent A2 spinning in the air, but she slid forward just like he did and hit him with her left palm, then her right fist.

Lars was sent flying back but managed to catch himself. "2B, should we stop them?" asked 9S.

"Negative," said 2B, "We should keep watching and analyze as much combat data as we can." said she.

A2 ran forward and attempted to do thundering-palm, but Lars was waiting for this. Lars hit A2 with both of  _his_ hands, but his left hand was open and his right hand under the left. This sent A2 flying back. "What?" asked she.

"Arc-Blast is  _way_ stronger than Thundering-Palm, but so is this!" Lars raised his right arm into the air and lightning surged all around his body and limbs. As Lars slid forward, A2 tried to hit him once more, but she had missed and sealed her fate in this fight. Lars hit her with his palm and she went flying into the air and back down into the ground, this time she tried to get up but failed, she had lost.

*Fade*

Lars walked over to A2, he held out his hand and A2 took it. As the shield gates were let down, 2B and 9S both stepped into the ring to help them. Lars did not take many hit's but his wounds were not fully recovered and he still fought. "White's probably gonna scold me for this." said Lars.

A2 managed to stand on her own and helped Lars stand. As the next fighters too the ring, the four started to head out. When the door slid down, there stood the Commander. Lars' blood ran cold, he grew nervous, the Commander looked  _pissed_. "Just, what do you think you're doing?" asked she, "Sparring without proper recovery?" 

"Come on, my wounds don't hurt  _that_ bad." said Lars.

"That doesn't change anything, you may be able to heal faster, but fighting in your state will only worsen your wounds. You still have assignments to do." she pointed his crop at Lars, "As of right now, I'm putting you on a week's hiatus."

"W-what? From what?" asked Lars.

"From anything related to missions or training, you need rest more than anything. Dismissed." she walked away leaving the four standing there.

"Geez, no training or mission for a week huh? Well, I guess I'll see you two later." Lars and A2 began walking away from 9S and 2B.

When they got to his room A2 set him down, but before she could leave, Lars grabbed hold of her arm. "A2?" asked Lars.

"What?" she asked.

"Could you... I dunno? Stay with me for the day?"

A2 stared at him in a confused manner, but then that frown slowly turned into a smile. She began chuckling, the chuckling slowly broke into a laugh, "Lonely are you?" asked she.

"Well, yeah." responded he, "So. Will you stay?" he blushed like crazy and sounded _very_ embarrassed.

"Alright, I guess." smiled A2. 

As the day went by, Lars and A2 exchanged stories and talked small things. Lars shared stories from his life, about his times with Nier, Kainé, Emil, and everyone else. A2 would listen very carefully. "Sounds like you've been through a lot with those people."

"Yeah, I have. I'm gonna get those days back, I'm gonna go home." Lars looked out his window and back at A2. "And I'm gonna take all of you guys with me, let's all leave this damned world behind."

"Wait, if YoRHa and the Resistance leaves, then what about the humans on the moon?"

Lars hesitated. Should he tell her? 

_"Do it, it'll haunt you."_ said Adam.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." said Lars. "A2? Humanity is..." Lars stopped, was he really going through with this?

"Humanity is what?" asked she. 

"Humanity is... gone. They're extinct."

"What? That's ridiculous."

"It's true, the 'humans' are just dummy signals that YoRHa set up in advance, the Commander knows it, 9S knows it, now you do too."

"What has YoRHa been fighting for then? What did my friends die for?!" asked she.

"Nothing I'm afraid, but that's why I'm going to free all of you from this wretched place. Here, Adam and Eve can explain it better." Lars put his hand on A2's head. A2 felt her mind going and everything went black.

 

 

A2 opened up her eyes. She was on a porch of a house. "What? Where am I?" asked she.

The door in front of her opened up. Eve stood there. "Oh. Hey A2, Adam! She's here."

A2 saw Adam walk into sight, "Welcome. We've been expecting you. Come right in."

"What is this place?"

"This place is where Eve and I have been staying ever since we were killed."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"To put it in other words, you're in the mind of Lars." smiled Adam. "So, Lars wants us to explain some things?"

"Yeah, he does." said Eve.

"Very well then, sit down." said Adam, A2 took a seat.

"I used my... ability and looked into the past of this universe. What I found shocked me very much. This was not long ago that I did this, my research. When I died the back-up consciousnesses in here awakened and I woke up here. That's when I began. Long ago a giant fell through a massive portal in this world on June twelfth, two-thousand three. A dragon followed and destroyed the giant, but they were shot down by the country's military. The giant's body disintegrated and started a disease known as 'white-chlorination-syndrome' which turned humans into salt or turned them into monsters."

"Is that why humans are gone?"

"Part of the reason." said Eve.

"You see, that city was eventually destroyed with a nuclear arm, but that only launched the disease world wide. Eventually, things got so bad that Project-Gestalt was initiated, the separation of the human body and the soul. The Devola and Popola models were made to oversee the safety of the soulless humans. These, 'soulless' shells were known as Replicants and were supposed to reunite with their souls or 'gestalts' when all this passed. Sadly, that never happened. You see, like you androids and like us machines, the Replicants grew to have emotions and eventually left. Project-Gestalt was beginning to fail. The gestalts overtime became mad and began to be known as 'shades'." 

"What? Devola and Popola?" asked A2.

"Yes, that's why their model was hated so much. Anyway, eventually plague and disease spread across the land. The Shadow-Lord had risen to power, but the Replicant of Nier killed him, dooming both to extinction. Somewhere along the line, androids were constructed, and that's when the aliens that created us came. They saw Earth for it's resources and fertile land. YoRHa androids were made as a result and the war has been happening ever since."

"W-why? Why was YoRHa created? Why have we been fighting? Why have my friends in the past die? Was this for nothing?" cried A2, tears began streaming down her face as confusion and anger spread all over her.

"Now you're angry, I know, but that's why Lars is going to-"

"That doesn't bring them back now does it!?"

"No..."

"They died for nothing." said A2 to herself. "What purpose do  _I_ have to live? If all this fighting is meaningless... I should just end myself..." she sobbed.

"Well, that would be selfish of course." said Eve.

"Eve?" asked Adam.

"Yeah, it would be real selfish. I mean, don't you have friends right now?" A2 looked at him, "I mean, 2B and 9S might not mean much to you, but what about Lars? I  _know_ you care for him."

"Yes, and from what we're seeing,  _he's_ the one with the biggest burden anyone has right now. You androids may be fine with killing, but he is human. It's not like he  _trained_ his entire life to kill either. He still has to take YoRHa and the Resistance back to his world to repair it. To do that he has to open an enormous portal. Lars, if you're listening then please pay attention to this part."

On the outside Lars nodded. "Alright." he said.

"To open that gigantic portal, you need to gather souls, of not just anyone, but yourself. By that I mean Sral, but his wont nearly be enough, you're going to need to bring multiple versions of you here so you may kill them, that is unless you don't want to go home." Adam looked back at A2, "Now do you see? He carries such a burden, he needs all the support he can get. From YoRHa, from the Resistance, and from  _you_ especially. Let's just say he... well he'll reveal it in time." 

"Plus, I'm sure that your friends wouldn't want you to end yourself like this." said Eve.

A2 remained speechless for a while, deep down on the inside, she knew Adam and Eve were right. Her friends wouldn't want her to die just like that, they all died such terrible deaths, why should she die so simply? Plus, there was still Lars, the person she swore to protect. "Fine, I've made up my mind." 

"Oh?"

"I'll stay alive, for everyone. I'll stay alive so I can continue to remember my friends, I'll stay alive so I can protect  _him_." said A2.

"Alright then, you're certain about this? Fighting for a race that no longer exists?" asked Adam.

"I'm not fighting for them. I'm fighting for Lars' now."

"Alright, Lars, I think it's time to let her out."

A2 began to fade away. She was returning to her body.

 

 

When A2 opened up her eyes, she was in Lars' room again. Back in the real world. Lars looked at her with sad eyes. "So now you know. A2, I-I'm sorry for letting you know all this."

A2 said nothing and wrapped him in her arms. "You don't need to apologize, I'm the one who should. I thought about ending it all without thinking about you first. But, I've decided, I'm going to continue living, so that I may stay with you more."

"A2, I'm glad that you're staying. Thank you..." Lars teared up, "Killing the other me's all those times over is going to be pretty hard. But, with all of you behind me, I know I'll do it." Lars' tears broke into a smile. "Now, let's go to bed. I'm pretty tired."

"Agreed." said A2, she and Lars then changed into better clothes and both climbed into bed. When Lars fell asleep, A2 looked at him. He looked so peaceful, so... at peace. If she had taken her life, would he still be like this? Oh well, she was glad she didn't take her life. Her past comrades would not agree, and who knows what Lars would've done. And with that thought, A2 decided to wrap her arms around him once again and went to sleep with that final thought.

 

 

*Transition to a kingdom in what used to be Stockholm, Sweden.*

 

 

Sral raised his hand and opened up three portals. "I summon thee with thy sacred ritual. I call upon thee names, Kuro, Dan, Pallad. COME FORTH!". A blinding light shined through Sral's entire bedroom and three figures stepped out of the portals. One of them had his hair up and styled to the left, he had part of it dyed white and the other part dyed black. He wore armor, it was very a-symmetrical, some kind of cylinder om the right shoulder and spiky armor on the left. His left eye was a deep crimson and his right a snowy white. He had a pair of sickles on his waist. Another wore green and black robes, his eyes were a brilliant green, stripes of his hair was dyed green and black. He looked very heroic with all he had, his shield and sword however, looked monstrous and evil. The final one had very wild hair, dyed red and blue. His left eye was blue, his right was red. He too wore robes, but he had more armor. A handheld axe was his weapon.

"You called upon us. Why?" asked the one in green.

"The one known as Lars has murdered my people for far too long. He and his wretched androids, I tried to end it peacefully with him, but he did not stop. He is nothing but a fool, that is why I have summoned you three. You are some of the strongest versions of me and him."

"So... You called on us to tear them to shreds?" asked the one in white and black, as he cackled maniacally. 

"Does that mean I get to play?" asked the one in red and blue, "I've already done a lot of research on the android known as 2B, she's so unique, I'm going to enjoy making her my favorite toy." he smiled.

"All in due time." said Sral, "For now, the banquet is about to begin. Come, let us discuss this with my mother and my father." Sral and the other three walked out of his room and through the castle. They walked into a hall where three long, large tables were. If you looked straight you could see twelve thrones. Nine of them had people on them, there were three that were empty, one of them belonging to Sral, the Ace of Spades. The other two that were empty belonged to the Queen of Clubs and the Jack of Clubs. "Father, Mother." Sral bowed.

"Sral." said his father. He looked kind and benevolent. "Have you summoned those three?" asked he.

"Yes, I have. In an effort to stop Lars and YoRHa." responded Sral, "Diplomacy is something he does not understand."

"I see." said his mother, "Very well, they may join us, but before you attack, your father and I will discuss our next courses of actions with the other Royals. But for now, please, sit down so the feast may begin." she pointed at the three behind Sral, "You are all guests, you may join us." 

The three did nothing but smile and sit themselves down at the tables as Sral sat in his throne. He raised a cup, "För härlighet och fred!" he shouted. His people cheered and food was getting served. "Just you wait, Lars. I'll kill your precious androids, and roast their heads in the fire of the Bunker. Then, you die." he muttered to himself.

 

*Back to the Bunker after several hours*

 

 

Lars felt someone rubbing his head and patting him. His eyes fluttered awake to see A2 waking him up. She was dressed in normal clothes and armor. "The Commander has ordered me, 2B, and 9S on a mission. I should be back by the end of the week. See you then." she left his room. Lars sat up and yawned. He was alone now, maybe 19H could keep him company? No, she was probably much too busy. 

The week went by rather slowly, Lars would find himself reading a lot and talking to Adam and Eve a lot, he spent time inside his own mind, playing games with Eve, and reading with Adam, all the while his wounds healed up nicely. He longed to go back to Earth, he would also do maintenance on his flight unit or talk to 6O, she was so much easier to talk to than 21O. On the last day of his hiatus he even managed to score a little hangout with 6O. The Commander had permitted it thank god, "Lars? Can I ask you something?"

"What's up?" asked he. 

"I really want to ask this operator I like out, but I'm a bit afraid. What happens if she turns me down like the last one? What should I do?"

Lars thought for a few moments, he never really had any experience with dates or anything, "Really to be honest, I don't know." he said. He saw that 6O looked devastated, was he really her last hope? "But, I guess you gotta be confident and just be yourself, I suppose."

"Ohmigod, thank you so much Lars!" 6O squealed. "Well, I gotta get back to work, thanks again!" she quickly ran off to command. 

Lars found himself to be bored once again. He saw the bathhouse and decided to go in. There was no one there, so he had it all to himself. As he entered the water, all he could think about was going back into battle, he got excited. Only about a half and hour passed and he heard voices. They were familiar.

"Come on 2B, it'll  _feel_ nice!" it was 9S.

Lars waited for them to come in. 9S came in with 2B and A2. He had a small towel around his waist and his visor was off. 2B's visor was also off and she had a towel wrapped around most of her body. So did A2. 9S turned to see Lars. "Oh. I didn't see you there..."

"Oh, hey guys. Water's great, come on in." said Lars.

As the other three entered the waters Lars didn't feel alone anymore. "So, how was the mission?" asked he.

"It was a complete success. The mission was relatively simple, so we got through it quite quick, the only thing that stopped us from coming back were errands we had to run for the Resistance." responded 2B. She didn't say anything else and faced away from Lars for a whole minute until 9S nudged her a bit and she sighed, "But, enough about us, how have you been?" asked she. It seemed forced, but it seemed genuine at least.

"My wounds have been healing just fine. And my hiatus is about to end in an hour or so. I assume you guys are only going to stay a bit before our next mission?"

"Yup." said 9S, "We'll be glad to have you back with us."

They all talked for a bit more until the Commander entered the bath-house, "0C, I assume you're ready to get back to your assignments?"

"Affirmative." responded Lars.

"Good, because we've found a small village belonging to the Jinzo, they have captive Resistance members, your mission is simple, rescue those androids and bring them back to the Resistance. You deploy in thirty minutes, be ready." she proceeded to leave. 

"Well, shall we go?" asked Lars.

"Yeah." said A2, they all got out of the bath and got dressed, grabbed their gear. They all made their way to the hangar and got in flight units. 

"Data received." said 9S over the comms, he gasped, "We're going to another region?"

"Affirmative, according to records, this region was once known as 'Sweden'." stated Pod-153.

"Sweden?" asked Lars, "Huh. My ancestral homeland. Alright, enough of that. Let's go!" shouted he. 

The first to launch was 2B, "YoRHa number two, type B, launching." said she. Then she was catapulted off. 

"YoRHa number nine, type S, taking off." said 9S, he too launched.

"YoRHa number two, model A, here I go." A2 launched.

"YoRHa cyborg, number zero, moving towards the future." said Lars, "Wow, way to be dramatic." he said to himself as he launched.

The flight to Earth was rather fast, they penetrated the atmosphere quite quick. While they were flying towards their destination, machines appeared. 

"Hostile machines." said 2B. "2B to operator! What the?" there was no response.

"What's wrong?" asked A2.

"We're being jammed!" responded 2B.

"Crap. My mask should be able to pierce the jam." said Lars. He let go of his controls and put the mask on. "Lars to Operator 6O, do you read?"

"Operator to Lars, you will not believe what happened! I followed your advice, and I managed to get a date!" 6O squealed. 

"Yeah, that's great! But, we're being attacked right now! Permission for mobile configuration?" 

"Oh! Sorry! Permission granted, 6O out!"

"Alright, let's get this started." As Lars and the others' flight units got into mobile mode, more enemies appeared. Except they were Jinzo. Their fighters also turned into mobile modes. As they fought, it looked as if it was not going to stop. Lars shot countless down, but more took their places. "I've an idea! Keep 'em busy for me!" Lars flew off until he could see land. When he landed, he immediately got out and aimed his arm. "Fly out of the way when i say so!"

"You got it." said 2B. His mask picked up all their signals. All of the Jinzo and machines were locked on. 

"Adjusting length and width of smash cannon... Adjusted. Ready to fire." said his mask.

"NOW!" screamed Lars. As all of them flew out of the way, Lars fired the giant beam, obliterating all of the Jinzo and machines. The rest of his team landed and got out of their flight units.

"Nice shot." said A2.

"Thanks..." puffed Lars. 9S pulled up a screen and looked on his map.

"Alright, we're here. Looks like the village isn't far off. Let's go rescue those androids!" said he.

*Fast forward two hours*

The village was right there. In plain sight, "What are we waiting for? Let's go!" whispered Lars.

*Alien Manifestation*

"No. If we're not careful, they'll kill the androids, and we can't let that happen. Here's the plan, we'll do a pincer attack. 2B and I will flank from the left side, you and A2 will go from the right. If the data's correct, then the hostages should be located in the center."

"Alright, then let's go." said 2B. She and 9S ran to the left side of the small village. A2 and Lars traveled to the right. "We're in position." said 2B to Lars.

"Got it. Start in three... two... now." A2 and Lars both ran in and when the guards turned, A2 cleaved both of them down with a single swing of her sword-mace. A2 then drew her normal sword and blocked a blow from a guard with a mace. The guard was pressing so much, A2 was beginning to struggle, but he heard some sound and saw Lars above A2. The moon was directly behind Lars, so all the guard saw was a shadow with a sword that was about to kill him! Before he could react with his shield, his head was cut clean off. He had killed yet again.

"If only you had stood down..." said Lars. "I'm sorry..." 

He and A2 began cutting their way through many guards not sparing even one of them. "Damn it... All this blood." he muttered. He felt like breaking down again.

"Focus." said A2, "Don't lose yourself." she said.

*Transition*

2B and 9S made their way through the hordes of Jinzo, cutting all of them down. "That's all of them in this area, careful 2B, there are more just ahead." 

"Got it." said 2B, she and 9S ran forward but a Jinzo lancer burst through a wall tackling 9S. "9S!" she shouted, but before she could go and help him, an archer shot several arrows at her. 2B dodged most of the arrows and cut some of them out of the air. "Pod!" she shouted.

"Affirmative." responded Pod-042. He fired some kind of rope and pulled the archer towards her and jumped through the air and bisected her. 

9S grunted and managed to tilt his head enough to evade the incoming lance, he then made an energy circle around the lancer and threw him off. He used the circle to then grab his sword and threw it into the lancer. 9S then hacked the man's core and detonated it. As the lancer fell to the floor, 2B helped 9S up. "Thanks." said 9S, "Come on, let's get to the square. Lars and A2 are probably already there." 

*The town square*

Lars punched a Jinzo right in the chest, lightning surged through the woman and her lifeless body fell down on the ground. Through her body he could see an axe-man running towards him. Lars slid forward to grab his collar, Lars swung his head back and hurled it forward and smashed his head into the axe-man's head. His forehead was completely crushed and Lars dropped him.  "That's all of them. But where are the hostages?" asked A2.

2B and 9S came into the square just then. "Looks like they're under-ground." 9S looked around, "But how do we get there?"

"Hold on. And get ready." Lars raised both arms in the air and slammed them onto the ground. "RAAAAAAAAAH!" he screamed and lighting surged through the entire ground, making it crumble. The four fell right through the giant sinkhole along with all the ruined buildings around into the underground.

"Geez! Talk about reckless!" shouted 9S. 

"At least it worked, we would've wasted our time searching for an entrance to here. But I  _do_ think you could be more careful." said 2B.

"Yeah, sorry." Lars looked at a metal door. "Looks like that's our entrance." he noticed something engraved on the wall. As Lars went to take a closer look, he noticed that it was in Swedish and with his memories, he could read it.

"I ett meningslöst krig, en främling kommer att komma och befria alla från sorg." it read.

"Do you know what that means?" asked A2.

"Yeah, 'In a meaningless war, a foreigner will come and free everyone from sorrow' huh." 9S and A2 both knew what it meant immediately. They both looked at each other and then at Lars. "Well, shall we go?" asked Lars.

"Y-yeah, let's keep going." said 9S.

_"That writing, a meaningless war? A foreigner coming and freeing everyone from sorrow? Is it fate that Lars is here?"_ thought 9S.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kuro's design is heavily based of Level X Dangerous Zombie, his sickles are the Gashacon Sparrow  
> Dan's design is of Kamen Rider Cronus' and his shield and sword are Cronus-Deus'  
> Pallad's is Kamen Rider Paradox's level 99 design, his axe is Paradox's weapon.  
> Notice: I don't own Kamen Rider, I'm merely getting designs from it. Don't like it? Too bad.  
> The Swedish took me SO long to do, I had to do localization and everything.  
> A2 discussed what she heard on the mission A2, 9S, and 2B went o without Lars.


	18. Madness/Command

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He appears... the mad one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do a REALLY shitty jobs with titles don't I?

"Over there!" shouted a lancer before she was cut down. 2B moved onto another Jinzo soldier with a rifle and used him as a human shield against other rifle soldiers. Through 2B, 9S threw his sword, impaling one. 9S then pulled the sword out to slice another one right down the middle.

"Clear." said 9S, "The hostages should be straight ahead. With this pace, we'll reach them in about sixteen minutes."

"Their signals are still online. Let's hope they'll be on when we get there." stated A2. 

They kept running down the stone hallway. More guards appeared, "Get outta the way!" shouted Lars. He drew his sword and dragged it across the ground, swinging it up. A giant ball of fire skimmed the ground and incinerated all the guards. Once again, they started running. Finally, through several groups of guards, they reached the door. "I'm getting readings on the inside." said Lars.

A2 kicked the door open and the intel was right. There were the androids. "Thank goodness you're here!" shouted a male, "Get us outta here before he gets here!"

"Who's he?" asked 2B.

"Doesn't matter, let's get these guys out of here." said 9S.

Lars helped the one who shouted. But the moment he saw him, he screamed and scrambled back. "What's wrong?" asked Lars. 

"Y-y-you're  _him_!" screamed he. 

"Who's 'him'?" asked Lars, "My name is Lars."

"Y-you mean, you aren't Kuro?"

"Kuro?" as Lars asked that, there was a blinding light as someone had appeared on his left.

*Wish in the dark*

He cackled maniacally. "So... eheheheh! You're Lars?! You really do look like me!!" screamed he.

"You, another version of me?" asked Lars, he drew his sword.

"That's right!!!! C'mon, enough talk!! LET'S GO!!!" he drew his sickles and lunged all the way to Lars. He managed to block his first two strikes but he did a kick-flip off of Lars and began crawling on the walls. 

"Lars!" shouted 9S.

"I'll keep him busy, get everyone out of here!"

"Got it! Come on!"

2B and A2 drew their blades and began to fight the other Lars as well. "He's fast!" cursed A2. He jumped down from the ceiling and began fighting both A2 and 2B at once. 2B tried to get his legs but he merely just jumped up. 2B was a sitting duck, he readied his sickles to slice her, but he was knocked off course when A2 kicked him. He slammed into a wall, sending dust everywhere, then a yellow energy arrow came through the dust and hit A2 right in the shoulder. "AGH!" she screamed.

More came through the dust, this time Lars jumped in front of A2 and cut everyone of them out of the air. "You alright?" asked Lars.

"Can't feel my arm, I think he cut my circuits!" she groaned.

As the smoke cleared, Lars could see that his enemy had combined his sickles, they formed some kind of bow. "BINGO!!! HEHEHEH! Do you like my sparrow? It's pretty deadly! To you androids especially!" He broke them apart and lunged forward again. 2B and Lars both ran forward, Lars on the left, 2B on the right. Both of their swords collided with his sickles. He started laughing again and his red eye flashed. He then broke out of the power struggle and spun in a tornado. Both 2B and Lars were hit and got sent flying back.

"A2, go..." said Lars weakly.

"What?" 

"Your arm can't move anymore, go and get reinforcements. We'll hold them off..." grunted Lars.

"Are you crazy? No way!"

"Just go! Either way we could die! Just go and call for reinforcements!"

A2 nodded and began running off.  _"Don't die..."_ she thought.

"2B, can you stand?" asked Lars, he used his sword to help stand up.

"Yeah... he's really strong." she said.

"I'M SORRY DID YOU THINK THIS WAS OVER?!! 'CAUSE WE'RE JUST GETTING STARTED!" screamed the enemy. He launched himself off a wall and flew towards 2B and Lars. 2B managed to deflect one of his strikes, but before she could cut him, he just few off again. "SORRY!! I FORGOT TO MENTION I CAN FLY!!!!!! AHAHAHAHAH!"he laughed.

"That laugh of yours is really starting to piss me off!" shouted Lars, he drew his gun and began shooting at him. Pod-042 began shooting a stream of bullets. But he just combined both of his sickles again and began shooting arrows at them. 2B and Lars began deflecting them, but one slipped right past 2B and hit her in the right upper-thigh. 

A sharp scream of pain emitted from her, and more were shot at her. She attempted to block more of the arrows, but her attempts were proven futile when three slipped past her and hit her in the right fore-arm, hip, and her left shin. She screamed in pain even more, she looked up to see even more arrows zooming towards her. But Lars jumped in the way and all of them hit him.

"2B..." he wheezed, "Go... I'll hold him off." blood dripped from his mouth.

2B did not argue, she just tried to get up but fell back down. Lars made a shadow of himself which carried 2B away, it also closed the door behind it. "It's just... you and me now!" Lars put the mask on and commanded that four tendrils come out. They connected with his synchronization modules, the eyes turned a dark green color. Lars could feel his strength returning again.

"Your mask? OH, WHAT FUN!!!" he cackled.

He and Lars charged at each other. Their weapons clashed with ferocity in both. Lars swung his sword at his legs, as he expected, his enemy jumped into the air. As he swung his sickles down, Lars let go of his blade and jumped back. The sickles were caught in the floor and his enemy tried to get them out. Lars used his left arm and grabbed the sword that Emil had given him and drew it. Lars charged forward and swung his heavy sword down, but his enemy bought up his own arm to block it. It would've cut his arm clean off, but instead the sword dug into his arm halfway and stopped. 

"THAT PUNY THING WON'T DO ANYTHING!!!" he screamed as he kicked Lars back and pulled out the sword and threw it aside. He pulled his sickles right out of the ground and tried to slash at Lars. Before his sickles could connect, Lars drew his arm blade to parry them. He activated the vibrations and managed to score a clean cut across the enemy's abdomen. "Heheheh! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! That felt pretty nice!! COME ON, FILL MY NEEDS!!"

"Pain pleases you?" asked Lars, before he knew it his enemy was right behind him. Lars turned to see that he was going to bring his sickles down on him. But he managed to block the right sickle, but the left one was still coming. Using his magic, Lars surged electricity through his entire body and managed to repel him. Lars took this opportunity to pick his sword up again. "Come on...". 

"Energy supply low: powering down." said his mask. It was the worst possible time.

"Oh? LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE IN TROUBLE!!!" he lunged forward once more and Lars tried to slash him out of the air, but the other Lars just twisted his body in an unnatural way and managed to slice him right across the chest, the mask came flying off.

"Ugh..." grunted Lars, he coughed out blood and it all splattered on the floor.

His enemy was going for another strike. He jumped on the wall and connected his sickles into the sparrow. He shot at least seventeen shots, at least that's how many Lars felt as they all sank into his back. Was this the end for him? In a final attempt, Lars summoned a dark lance and threw it with all his might right into his enemy's arm. 

"GAAAR!" he screamed. "YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THAT!" he charged in one last time to finally kill Lars.

Lars closed his eyes and waited for the end to come. But instead of him dying, 9S came up and blocked the attack. "N-nines?" asked he. Lars looked over to see multiple Resistance and YoRHa androids pour right into the room, help had arrived. 

*Fade*

"Hmmph. Looks like I won't be able to finish this. But I'll tell you three things!" he pointed at Lars, "First, my name is Kuro, remember that! Secondly, Sral has declared war on  _all_ androids! Third, I'm going to kill all of you!" he began laughing maniacally before teleporting away. Lars could hear several voices and YoRHa forces pouring in before he had passed out from blood-loss.

 

 

 

"...t's...low...ight." a light was being shined in his face. Lars opened up his eyes to see 19H. "He's awake."  she said, two operators nodded and got up to leave. Lars sat up, nothing hurt. "If you're wondering about the non-existent pain, we gathered up enough data to heal you instantly. Recovery will be faster. Now, get dressed and get going, the ceremony is about to begin."

"W-what? How many hours has it been? What ceremony?" asked he.

"First of all, it's been fifty-nine hours."

"What?"

"Yes, you've been passed out for more than two days. And the ceremony I'm talking about is your promotion."

"Promotion?"

"Yup, after that mission report, it's official that the Jinzo have declared war on all androids. So a second commander is needed to lead a specialized legion for fighting them, plus your bravery to hold off an enemy that was leagues above you was noticed by the Commander and she made the decision herself."

"Is this for real? I barely just woke up!" 

"Yes, it's for real, now stop talking, get dressed, and make your way to the command center. I'll tell her you're on the way. You can get your equipment later in your room."

Lars got straight up and grabbed his long coat and dressed immediately. As he ran, he heard 19H, "Yes, he's on his way right now." 

*Couple minutes*

He ran as fast as physically possible to the command center. He stood in front of the second door that'll lead into the room. Taking a deep breath, he entered. It was quite the spectacle when he entered, a line of soldiers on each side guided him to the elevator going down. The operators on the balconies were all standing, the ones on the ground faced where he would be standing. Many other soldiers stood around the Commander. 2B, A2, and 9S were also in the crowd. Lars walked into the elevator and descended. When it got down, the Commander spoke, "Step forward."

Lars walked until he was in front of the Commander, "Kneel." she said. He knelt, "YoRHa cyborg 0C, from your previous mission, you held off a enemy despite the fact that he was far stronger than you. Is that correct?"

"That is correct, Commander."

"Then this is not a wrong choice. From this day forward, you are a Commander alongside me." she turned as a YoRHa soldier walked up carrying a box with the insignia that she had on her left shoulder. She took it out of the box and positioned it on Lars' left shoulder. It fastened itself on his shoulder and stayed there. "You may rise." said she.

Lars stood back up. "From this day forward, you will all address him as 'Commander' or 'Sir'! His orders are to be treated as if they were my own. Is that understood?"

"Yes." said all of them.

The Commander put her left hand on her chest. As did everyone else, so Lars did the same, "Glory! To Mankind!" she shouted.

"Glory! To Mankind!" shouted all of them. 

"Now, what are your first orders?" asked the Commander to Lars.

"Um... All of you are to resume your operations, we are at war now, there is no time to waste!" commanded Lars.

All of the operators got back to work and all the soldiers all dispersed. 2B, A2, and 9S also left, they went outside. "I made you a Commander because you and only a handful of other androids have actually  _fought_ the Jinzo. So I'm putting you in charge. The enemy's leader is another version of you, so who better to fight him than you? I just hope you don't hesitate to kill him."

"I won't, he's not me. He's a mere copy." he leaned in, "According to Adam." he whispered.

"I see. Remember, tell me his and his brother's every move." she whispered back.

"You got it."

"Anyway, you'll have your own legion on standby. You may call for them whenever you need. Of course, your comrades are part of that legion. Right now however, it's time for your next mission. Go to the region you're team was assigned to and destroy a Jinzo town before it's complete. Can you do it?"

"Yeah, I should be able to."

"Good, and before I forget, our technicians modified this." she pulled out his mask, "It should cause less of a strain now. But still, do be careful. Now go, the co-ordinates should be in here."

Lars took his mask and clipped on his hip, "Thank you, White." Lars saluted and began walking away.  _"So I'm a Commander now? Geez, talk about pressure, I need to get stronger, if someone in my command dies... I'll feel guilty."_ thought he. He sighed as he walked out the door.

"So you're our Commander now?" asked A2 from behind. Lars jumped a bit and turned around.

 "GEEZ! Don't scare me like that!" he shouted. "Sorry. Yeah, I guess I am." 

"What's the mission?" asked 2B.

"Down to business already, eh? I'll explain on the way, for now let's get to Earth." He opened up a portal to the Resistance and all four of them went in.

Lars smelled the air, it was good to be in the Resistance again. "Let's go." he said.

 

 

 

 

The four ran with high spirits, but there was no way they knew what would happen on this mission.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How long the music lasts will depend on your reading pace. Just saying.


	19. Or Not To [B]e

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It seems the strongest of warriors, can be corrupted just as easily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Same ending names from the game, but different endings happen. Basically, a different meaning.

"So we've gotta destroy this place before it's complete?" asked 9S, he pointed to a town in progress down from the cliff.

"That's our destination, but don't forget that our main target is the castle." Lars pointed to the castle where all Jinzo were coming out of, "That's these guys' main headquarters here, that falls, then all of them do."

"Why don't you just use the smash cannon?" asked A2.

"Well, I was thinking I'd do that when I  _get_ to the castle because if we can take that over, we'll have a thriving new base for the Resistance, the land  _should_ recover."

"Got it." said 2B.

"Commencing mission, let's go." 

"Got it." responded 9S. He and 2B slid down the cliff, and Lars and A2 followed. The town was right in front of them now, 9S looked past a building and saw a few guards patrolling, they were all rifle-men. "Lars, they all have guns."

Lars nodded and signaled for everyone to get behind him. He put up three fingers...two...one. He activated his force-field and charged out with his comrades behind him. The rifle-men all spotted them and started shooting. Pod-042 and Pod-153 opened fire on all of them and gunned every single one of them down. "They know we're here now. Let's keep going." 

They kept moving through the town, cutting down any and all Jinzo in their way. But something was very wrong, why were there so few soldiers? There were clearly more people he saw. 2B saw some soldiers enter a building. She quickly got over to the structure and kicked the door down. What she saw shocked her. There were soldiers, yes. But there were also normal people, civilians. "Lars!" she shouted.

Lars came over and what he saw shocked  _him_ as well. "What the? Civilians?" asked he. They huddled closer together, they were so obviously scared. Men, women, children and a few soldiers only to protect them. "Leave them, we aren't harming civilians, they're copies but they're still alive." 

"Understood." said 2B. She started following Lars, but a gun shot could be heard. 2B and Lars both twisted their heads around to see 9S falling onto the ground. He was shot right in the shoulder. He could get a clear picture, some of the civilians had guns, and they were going to shoot. "9S!" screamed 2B.

"Providing support." said Pod-153.

"No wait!" shouted Lars.

But alas, his orders were too late. She flew over to the door way and fired a flurry of bullets, Lars could hear the Jinzo's screams of pure horror and pain as he ran over to 9S. When he got to his aid, removing the bullet he made the mistake of looking into the building. It was truly a scene straight out of hell, they all laid there motionless, blood everywhere, and some of them dismembered. He looked away as fast as he could but the damage had been done, he tried to distract himself from that by applying staunching gel to 9S' wound but the image had been burned into his mind.

"Thanks." said 9S.

"N-no problem." responded Lars, "Let's keep going..." he was much quieter.

The four took off to the castle once again, the horrible image kept bleeding into Lars' mind no matter how much he tried to block it out. The town was silent now, as all of the guards were wiped out, no more civilians either. Were the ones that died all there was? Were  _they_ building the town? Lars started to drown in these thoughts, but he was shaken awake by A2. "We're here." she told him.

"R-right." said he. They entered the castle. Tables for dining were scattered everywhere, and there were cots and sleeping mats on the ground. The exact number of how many they came across, everyone in the town was dead. 

"You alright?" asked A2, "You seem a bit shaken up... Please, if something's attacking you mentally, you've got to tell me."

"The civilians, they were dismembered and slaughtered. I feel... disgusted. I couldn't save them, they didn't  _do_ anything. It's already kinda hard for me to kill the soldiers, but the civilians are a whole other case." responded Lars.

"We'll find a way around it. Don't worry." said A2, all of the sudden, Pod-153 got a call.

"Operator 21O to 9S, tell me, is the town gone?" asked she.

"Well, everyone is dead. Commander Lars says he wants to save the castle, but everyone else is dead, all that's left is to wipe out the town." responded 9S.

"Very well, he can do that by himself. While he does that, 9S, you need to come back and take care of some things, I also have a message for A2. She is also supposed to come back to the Bunker so she can finish teaching other androids the new fighting techniques. 2B and Commander Lars can come back after they destroy the town. Operator out." the screen shut off.

"We're leaving?" asked 9S, "Can you two take care of yourselves?"

"Yeah, we'll be fine." responded Lars.

A2 looked at him with a worried expression, "Don't get into any unnecessary trouble, alright? You, too. Take care of him for me." she said to 2B.

"You got it." said 2B.

Lars opened up a portal and 9S and A2 went in, leaving 2B and Lars alone. "Let's go." she said.

They began walking through the corridors and hallways to get to the top, "2B, there's something I need to tell you."

"Can it wait? We're on a mission." responded she.

"No... It can't wait."

"Alright fine, what is it?"

Lars hesitated, "The next time you have to kill 9S... Let me do it. Believe me I know who you are. What your true purpose really is..."

2B didn't say anything she just stared. Until finally, after what seemed like hours, "What?" is all she uttered out. Her breathing got heavier and Lars could not see it, but he could see that she had a look of pure shock and horror in her eyes. 

"I know, you hate yourself don't you? I pieced it all together when I first was with A2. Her saying she wasn't going to kill me, how she wasn't like you. When we killed Eve, you had to kill 9S, and those words you said that day. And of course, there was Caim and Lawsh, the ones who told me  _everything_. Tell me, who are you?"

2B clenched her fist and gritted her teeth, then she broke down. She kicked, she screamed, she threw herself onto the ground, this continued for a while until Lars spoke up. 

"Are you done?"

2B sat up and wiped her tears away from her drenched visor. "My name... is 2E." she sobbed. "My job is to kill YoRHa unit number nine, type S..." she tore off her visor and looked up at Lars, "I felt nothing the first few kills... but over time, I fell in  _love_ with him... I began to hate killing him! I hated it! He would feel so betrayed!" she looked at her hands. She remembered a time where 9S begged for mercy, yet she stabbed him through the black box. Another time, she heard 9S' maniacal laughter and knew what she had to do. "That's why, I need someone... anyone... to save me..."

"That's why I'm here." said Lars, "I won't allow you to hate yourself any longer. 2B, over time, you've become my friend. You act distant, and try not to talk to 9S, yet I can see the warmth in your heart..." he knelt and put a hand on her shoulder, "That's why, I'm going to protect all of you, from this day forward, you are 2B! Not 2E!"

"Lars... 9S is your friend, yet you're willing to kill him to spare  _me_ the self-loathing and pain? Even if I was the one who harmed you and nearly killed you?"

"Yeah, believe me, this is going to be very hard for me too... Killing my closest friend... but I can't allow you to hate yourself even more. Plus, I forgive you for almost killing me. That's in the past, if you want to atone for all you've done, then keep moving forward, with me, with A2, and with 9S." Lars smiled.

"Lars..." she sobbed, "Thank you..."

"How very touching..." said a voice.

*Justice (Kamen Rider Ex-Aid)*

"Who's there?" asked Lars. He drew his sword and put his mask on. Two tendrils came out. He looked at 2B, "Weep later. I need you right now."

"Got it." 2B responded and she grabbed her sword.

An unknown entity descended from the ceiling. Lars saw that he was another version of him. "I am Dan." he said, "I am the hero who fights for nothing but justice... and right now you get in the way." He grabbed his shield and his sword and charged toward them. Lars managed to block his sword but didn't see his shield coming. It hit him across the face and sent him back. 2B came in and started to attack him, he began blocking every single one of her attacks with minimal movement. "How dare you... slaughter these innocents." he looked over at Lars, "You feel remorse, yet you do nothing?!" he slashed 2B across her stomach area.

Lars attempted to start a distress signal, but for some reason it stopped. "What the?" Dan charged up to him and tried to cut him but Lars blocked his sword just in time. He then hit his sword up with his arm blade and cut Dan right across his neck. Lars turned to see that it hadn't fazed Dan, and the cut was regenerating. "Oh no..." he was then hit aside by his shield. 

"Pod!" shouted 2B. 

"Affirmative." Pod-042 began shooting missiles instead of bullets at Dan, but the talons on his shield became like whips and he hit all of them aside. As they all exploded, he sent the talons at 2B and Lars, who both cut them off.

The whips retracted back into the shield and grew back. "There is a field around the castle that'll cut off all communications I just put up, so you won't be getting a distress signal started!" he ran forward again, and attacked 2B. She swung her large sword and managed to hit him away before he could kill her, but he was very persistent and went for her again. Lars managed to use his dark-arm and grabbed him.

"Gotcha!" shouted Lars.

"Do you now?" he burst into a green light and the dark-arm was incinerated. He then went for Lars and their blades clashed. His shield came up and hit Lars' sword away, as Lars jumped away to begin shooting at him, he jumped forward using his shield to block all the shots.

*Click! Click! Click!*

"Crap!" shouted Lars, Dan had appeared right in front of him and smashed him into the ground. He was going to come down to stab him, but 2B cut him aside. "Thanks for saving me." said Lars.

"No problem, look..." said 2B, she was tired, she was injured. But Lars looked and saw that their enemy was regenerating once again. "You on the left. I got the right." said 2B.

"Roger..." 2B and Lars both lunged forward, Dan merely saw through this and blocked both their strikes. He flashed a smile and used his talons to slash both 2B and Lars various times. 2B and Lars still continued their assault, but no matter what they tried, their attacks kept being countered. "Damn it!" Lars kneed Dan in the stomach and grabbed him by the throat. He sent lighting through his hand and shocked Dan, then proceeded to crush his neck.

"That won't stop me!" shouted Dan. He grabbed Lars' arm and then proceeded to throw Lars aside. "You honestly think you can kill me that easily? Your villainy knows no end!" He lunged at Lars, but 2B blocked his sword and shield. She managed to stab him this time, through his heart. Dan coughed out some blood but smiled and looked up, "Ouch..." he said, he then punched 2B into a wall. He pulled out his sword and threw it aside. 

Lars used his time manipulation, but as he sped around to try and confuse Dan, he smiled once again. "Fool." he said. Suddenly, time stopped. Lars was conscious, yet he could not move. Dan walked slowly up to him and slashed him several times, he felt pain. 2B wasn't moving either. Had he stopped time? Dan then walked over to 2B he then began cutting her several times. He let out a wave and Lars and 2B fell back down.

"Unlike you, I can actually stop time!" he laughed.

"No way..." coughed Lars, "Eight tendrils, override code, Phi."

"Override excepted." said his mask. Six more tendrils came out and connected with the modules. He felt his pain slowly go away and got back up.

"Come..." he sputtered. Dan began running forward and so did Lars. Once again their weapons clashed. Lars parried Dan's sword and managed to knock away his shield. He could keep up with him a bit more, but everything lost it's color once again, and he could not move. Time had stopped again, Dan hit him with the shield this time. The wave had been let out once again, and Lars went flying back. As he crashed into a wall, he could only look up and see that Dan was going after 2B. "Adam! Eve!" he shouted.

No response...

"They can't talk, I'm stopping you from summoning those vile machines." Dan turned to look at Lars once more. When he charged at him, Lars tried to block his sword and shield, but instead his sword was hit out of his hand and as it clattered onto the ground. Lars knocked him back and attempted in using his arm blade, but his opponent broke off the blade and held him in place, a clock formed underneath and a ton of energy surrounded his left leg. Lars stood on the roman numeral twelve, and Dan did an outer kick with the long hand of the clock. It hit Lars and he was sent back. Blood dripped from every corner of his body now, Lars could hardly even move anymore... 2B was doing her best as well, but alas she was knocked down and did not get up.

"Damn you... heartless bastard..."

"Heartless? How dare you!" screamed Dan, he ran over to Lars and began kicking him while he was down. Lars wanted to do something, he  _needed_ to do something. But his body was not listening to him anymore... This fight was over... and he and 2B had lost.

"Well, as much as I would like to kill both of you and stop your vile acts, I'm going to make you suffer... Both of you." he stuck out his arm and began spraying something onto 2B. She screamed in agony and scrambled around, then she stopped.

*Drakengard 2 Fate*

She got up and picked her sword up. She grabbed Lars off of the ground, lifted him up, and then hurled him right into another brick wall. "2B? What are you-" his face was almost stabbed, but he managed to dodge in time.

"She isn't awake... Once you die however, then she'll see that  _she_ caused this to happen! Ta! Ta!" he opened a portal and walked through it, leaving Lars to be killed by 2B.

"2B, wait! Try and remember! Our promise! I know you're in there, fight it!"

2B did not sat a word, she just kept trying to kill Lars. Lars' instincts told him to fight back, but he did not want to hurt his friend. "Raise a distress signal and loop it!" he shouted. He kept evading 2B's attacks.

"Distress signal activated." said his mask. Just then, it was knocked off, the tendrils were disconnected, forcibly. Lars felt an unimaginable pain in his head, and he looked up to see 2B charging at him, she cut his left arm off then slashed him across lower chest. 

"Damn it..." Lars knew he had no choice now. He rolled to his sword and picked it up. This was for real, he was fighting his friend. She ran up to him trying to bisect him, Lars blocked her sword and parried it. He then tried to swing at her, but she parried  _his_ sword instead and kicked him back. Lars shot a fiery comet at her, she dodged it and  ran forward, Lars sent a shadow of himself forward. It struck her right in her belly area. As the shadow disappeared, 2B charged forward once again. 

Lars was growing desperate now, he tried to block her blade once again, but instead of meeting his sword head on, she cut his tendons. Lars could not feel his right hand anymore, his sword plunged into the ground and 2B cut Lars' kneecaps as well. He really could not move anymore. 

She picked Lars up by the neck... gave him a blank stare..., "2B..." said Lars weakly.

 

*SPLORCH!!"*

*Music abruptly come to an end*

 

Her blade was right through his chest, Lars stopped breathing and blacked out.

To worsen the matter, 2B all of the sudden regained herself. She gasped and dropped Lars onto the ground. She looked at her hands, they were stained with blood. Not just a Jinzo's blood, it was the blood of Lars. She looked at him, motionless, not breathing, "No, no. Oh no..." she screamed into the air. Her scream pierced the sky. Now, she had killed yet another one of her comrades. But, Lars could not come back, he had one life. That was it. "NOOOOOOO!!" she screamed, she cried. She kept screaming, for it was all she could do.

*Transition to Resistance*

"I wonder why 2B and Lars aren't back yet. We finished a while ago." said 9S, he sat on a crate that A2 was moving.

"Maybe they got caught up in something." responded A2.

"I hope not."

"Alert: Distress signal from YoRHa Commander 0C." stated Pod-153.

"Oh no..." said 9S, he jumped of the crate and A2 threw it aside, they both began to run to the point of origin of the signal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I couldn't play the entire Drakengard 2 ost, but it'll be back, I promise! ;)  
> Sorry about the crappy sound effect as well!


	20. Hämnd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 9S and A2 get to the battle sight, only to find that Lars is laying there... motionless, and 2B is nowhere to be found. Rage begins to take over A2's heart, causing A2 to once again desert.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twenty chapters!? NANI?!  
> Thank you for reading this far!  
> The title is "Revenge" in Swedish  
> Spring break is over... :( ͡° ʖ̯ ͡°) ᕕ( ཀ ʖ̯ ཀ)ᕗ  
> Sorry for the late post. I've been busy

9S and A2 rushed to the castle at top speeds. "Pod! What are Lars' and 2B's status's?!" asked 9S.

"Unknown. Unable to scan." responded Pod-153.

"Lars, 2B... please be alright..." said 9S.

*Back to the castle*

2B looked at the body of Lars, "Lars..." she sobbed, "I'm so sorry..." she picked her self and began walking away, but she felt a hand attempt to grab her leg. She turned to see that Lars was still trying to stop her, even if his tendons were slashed. He was trying to stay something, 2B could swear he was trying to say her name, but all that came out was a strained wheeze. "Just stop... I can't... I can't be saved. I'm sorry, and goodbye." 2B whispered, she then limped off. Whilst she did this, Lars could only try and crawl after her, eventually... his eyes lost their shine.

 _"Come back, 2B... I... I..."_ the last thought was cut off when his heart finally stopped. Was he... dying? Lars could see a light coming, and the voices of Adam and Eve calling to him, not to go. But he entered the tunnel of light anyway.

*Fast Forward thirty minutes*

9S and A2 burst right through the door. "2B!" screamed 9S.

"Lars!" screamed A2.

The both of them stood in shock and horror as they saw the awful spectacle. There lay Lars, with his left arm gone, blood all over his body, and worst of all, his lifeless eyes and motionless body. A2 immediately rushed over to Lars and picked him up, she looked at his face. She gasped in pure horror, "No, no, no. This can't be happening!" she shouted. She put both her fingers on his neck, his pulse was gone. She put her head to his chest, no heart beat. 

Whilst she did this, 9S looked around. 2B was nowhere to be found. He looked around as much as he could. Every inch of the room, but no 2B. He caught sight of Lars being held by A2. "Lars?" asked 9S.

9S walked slowly over to Lars. A2 put him on the ground, she ripped open his coat and tried to revive him. Seeing all this, 9S began to break down, his dead friend in the ground. 2B nowhere to be found. "A2..." he said quietly, "Stop... Just stop..."  he sobbed.

"NO! HE'S ALIVE, I KNOW IT!!" she was in pure denial mode.

9S couldn't bear to see this anymore, "GODDAMMIT STOP!!!!" he screamed, "He's dead... just please, stop..." sobbed he.

A2 knew it, this was the truth. Lars was dead, and he wasn't coming back. He's not an android, sure he may be a cyborg, but he has no backup data to reload. He was gone. At the corner of her eye, she saw his mask. It was still active, she walked over to it and picked it up. "Who did this?" asked she.

"The culprit to YoRHa Commander 0C is 2B." responded the mask.

Upon hearing this, 9S looked up from Lars' body. "2B? No, she would never? That can't be true!" he shouted.

A2 only stared, "Is this true? Did 2B  _really_ murder Lars?"

"Affirmative. This shows proof." the mask bought up the footage of the fight, no. Fight is the wrong word, it was a murder, 2B had murdered Lars without any hesitation or regret. That was what A2 saw.

A2 clipped the mask onto her hip, "Let's go..." she said.

"To where?" asked 9S.

"We're going back to the Resistance... Let's go..." said A2. She picked Lars up and began walking to the Resistance camp. How could this happen? This was an extermination op, this should've never happened.

*Transition*

Lars looked around. He was in an empty realm. Where was he? "Where am I?" he tried to ask. But nothing came out. He tried saying something, anything. But again, nothing came out. "So you can't talk." said a voice.

Lars looked around to see who spoke, all of the sudden a middle aged man appeared in front of him. He wore a t-shirt and shorts with sandals, and a bathrobe? Lars pointed and tried to ask who he was, but the man just put his hand up to stop him. "Don't bother talking, seems you've gone into shock when that 2B chick killed you." he grabbed a can of beer and cracked it open. "Oh yeah, to answer your question. I'm God. But, I prefer to be called "The Dude" man."

Lars could not believe his eyes, was he really speaking to God? About a million questions popped into his head, but he could not ask none. "Now I know what you wanna ask. What's heaven like, what's going on, yada yada yada. But I know what the  _real_ questions are. You want to go back to being alive, but how? Am I right?"

Lars nodded.

"Good, but I'm not gonna do that yet, man." Lars looked incredibly confused and upset.

"Way I see it." he snapped his fingers and a couch appeared, he kicked off his sandals, and sat on the couch in a very crude fashion, "You've got three choices man. I can either, forgive all your sins and let you live in heaven with your parents for all eternity, send you back to your old world so you can live there with your family friends, and you can live with your step-sister, or I can bring you back to life so you can keep fighting or whatever with the androids. You better choose wisely man." all the while he took a sip out of his cold beer.

This truly was a hard decision. He could go home, and meet everyone again, he could reunite with his friends of the past. "Oh yeah, that Zero chick, she's your step sister."

Lars looked at him, once again with confusion in his eyes. "The guys in your head didn't give you  _all_ your memories? Bummer, dude. Anyway, don't mind me." he kept drinking. He resumed thinking, this could be his one chance, he could reunite with his parents after all these years. But what of A2? Of 9S? Of 2B? Could he really just leave them behind? 

No... he can't just leave them behind in this world of an endless war. "Lars..." said a female's voice.

This voice... it was... his mother's. Lars looked around frantically to see where she was. "You can't see me?" asked she.

Lars nodded, "Hey, I'm here too." said another voice, it was his father. There was a blinding flash of light that filled the entire realm, even The Dude squinted a bit. There they were, his parents. He had longed to see them again. His mother, who died in war, and his father, who died of a broken heart. "Lars... I'm so sorry..." said his father, "If I hadn't abandoned you, you would've never had to go through all this." 

Lars wanted to talk, he wanted to tell his father that all was well, and that he had no feelings of anger towards him. But he couldn't... all he could do was give a reassuring smile and shake his head. He walked to his parents and felt their embrace. For so long, his parents were gone, but now he was with them. Could he be at peace with them? But before he could make his decision, his mother spoke up.

"I know you want to go with us. And I would like nothing better, my boy who has grown so much in the past years." she sniffed, "But, what of your friends?"

Lars stopped thinking about peace, he looked at his parents, "No matter what choice you make, we'll support it. But this is your decision."

"One last thing, it's not your time. Your mother and I died pretty early, we want you to live your life to the fullest, regardless if you're going to fight or going back to Zero. But, it's your choice." said his father.

That was it, that was all Lars needed. He can't just abandon A2, 9S, and 2B. Not the rest of YoRHa or the Resistance either, he was reviving to fight once more. He looked at God and he knew exactly what Lars wanted. "You're sure about this?"

Lars nodded. "Alright then, but first, your parents need to say their goodbyes, you are not dying for a while, man."

"Lars... your father and I... we couldn't be  _more_ proud of you. Everyone's life is supposed to be written for them, but you're taking yours in your hands and crafting it yourself. Live, and be happy with the androids." said his mother, she began to cry tears of joy.

 "We'll always be watching, son. Never forget that... we love you." Lars began crying himself. He couldn't hold it in. This was it, it was going to be a very long time before he could see his parents again, this might even be the last time. 

"Two more things." said The Dude, "Here, these are Supernova Lockets." he handed him two lockets with orange gems in them. "With these you'll have a power beyond anything you could ever imagine. And the other thing, when you're gonna kill Sral, tell that little asshat to go fuck himself up the ass, will ya kid?"

Lars smirked and nodded.

"Alright, I'm reviving you and healing you, later kiddo." he smiled and pointed his hand at Lars. As Lars began to fade he took a look at his parents once more. He mouthed "I love you." to them. They knew what he was trying to say.

"We love you, too. Kick ass!" they shouted back, "And keep practicing your fighting!" 

With that, Lars faded away from the realm. And with his parents' words forever etched in his memory, he returns to his body.

 

*Transition*

 

Lars' eyes shot open, much to the surprise of everyone around him. There were many things wired to his body, life support, wires, practically everything. He practically lunged up and ripped off every single wire connected to his body. "Lars?" asked a voice next to him. 

Lars looked to his left to see 9S, his teary stormy clue eyes stared at him, his visor removed. Just from one look, he could tell, this was the Resistance. It was raining, the water could be heard even inside this room. He was on a cot and 9S sat next to it. Lars could only imagine how everyone reacted to what happened, "Nines?" he asked. "What happened?"

"Y-you're alive..." he cried. He hugged Lars a friend would. And Lars hugged him back. "You... you died. How?"

"Kinda hard to explain, tell me what happened while I was out."

"Well, when we got to the castle, you were dead... and 2B was no where to be found." that shook Lars to his core, she was gone? "Then, A2 was really quiet on the way back, she didn't say anything but I knew something was up. When we got back to the Resistance, A2 disappeared, all we could find was her armor and her swords. She must've taken Type- 4O weapons. It's been hours but we couldn't find her. Eventually, when we were all done with saying our goodbyes, You were moved to this room to be buried. I thought I'd stay by your side until your actual burial."

"So, I was dead for hours? It felt like so little time had passed since I was there." said Lars, he put his hand over his eye and forehead.

"Wait what? What do you mean?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but I spoke with God. And.. my parents..." he smiled a bit.

"What? That's... what?"

"Yeah, turns out he prefers to be called 'The Dude'. And he gave me these." Lars showed 9S the Supernova Lockets.

"What are they?"

"Supernova Lockets, they'll grant me a power beyond anything."

"Really?" 9S looked up in realization, "Wait. What about A2?"

"Crap! Knowing her, she's gonna want revenge." he looked at 9S dead in his eye, "Organize a search party to find A2, as of right now, she and 2B are deserters. Once they're found, I want to be the first to be notified, tell everyone that's it's a command from YoRHa Commander 0C. Get your visor on, and I'll get dressed immediately, where's my gear?"

"It's all in this room, I'll go notify everyone." 9S tied his visor back on and ran out of the door. Whilst Lars got dressed, 9S ran back out. "Excuse me?!" 9S shouted to the androids in the vicinity, "A search party for YoRHa units A2 and 2B are to be made effective immediately."

"You can't give orders our like that!" shouted 27D, "We've got more important things to do than to help you find your friends, let the E models do it!"

"These aren't my orders, they're Lars'." responded 9S.

Many of the androids looked at each other confused, "That's impossible, he died!" shouted an android.

"9S. What're you doing?" asked Devola, "Lars died..."

"Don't say such absurd things Devola!" shouted a voice.

9S looked behind him to see Lars, with all his apparel on and all his gear. Lars looked around, "They  _were_ my orders! What're you all waiting for! I'm alive! So what?!"

All of the androids were in shock, the person who was just dead a few hours ago, was alive and well and giving them orders. "GO YOU IDIOTS!" barked Lars, with that everyone snapped out of it and started getting in groups to search. Lars put his mask on and called 6O.

When she picked up, she was shocked to see him. "C-Commander?" asked she.

"I'd much prefer Lars, in fact. You have clearance to call me that, anyway patch me in with White."

"Wait, how are you alive? We got a report saying that you were deceased! I-"

"I'll do a data spread later, for now get me with White, that's an order."

"R-right." she began working and the Commander's face appeared on the screen.

"Lars? How?" asked she.

"Why is everyone so surprised I'm alive? Seriously, I appreciate the concern, but really?"

"We got a report saying you had died! At the hands of 2B!"

"That's beside the point, I'll spread the data, but right now, we're looking for both A2 and 2B. This is a mission I have assigned, and I'll be taking charge. 2B didn't kill me out of her own free will, another enemy was controlling her."

"Understood, I want a full description on how you're alive. Good luck, Commander out." finally the screen turned off.

"Alright." Lars looked back, 9S, Devola, and Popola were with him. "We need more eyes. Follow me." once they got outside of the camp and got far enough, he concentrated really hard and created the bodies of Adam and Eve. 

"What the?" Popola asked.

"Is that, Adam and Eve? Lars what're you-" before Devola could say anything more, 9S stopped her.

"Don't worry, they're on our side for the time being. For some reason, they're helping Lars accomplish his goals." said he.

"Yeah but, Eve went berserk and attacked the camp, several of us died!" shouted Popola.

"I know, but I trust Lars. And he trusts them, most of the time."

Two balls of light exited Lars' body and entered the bodies. The both of them stood up and looked at Lars, "So, we're looking for A2 and 2B?" asked Adam.

"Yeah, let's go. But first, why have you not given me all my memories?"

"Oh, that. Sorry, I wanted to play around." said Eve, "Fine... you can have all of them." he said, some kind of rope shot out of his chest and into Lars. 

Lars felt the memories sink into his mind like a knife. He could apparently play every single instrument really well. And his parents adopted a child who came from a brothel, her name was Zero, she turned out to be five years older than him, but he was getting side tracked. "Thanks Eve, now let's get going."

The group began walking though the ruins of the city. "We won't find them here, chances will be that 2B and A2 will be near where 2B was last seen, the castle." Lars tried to open a portal, but nothing happened. "My portals are disabled. Seems I'm not completely healed. Can you do it?" he looked to Adam.

"Of course." said he. Adam opened up a portal to the sight of the battle. "We should split up, we'll report to you if anything happens."

"Usually I'd disagree, but we've got to find them as soon as possible. Fine." said Lars, "9S, with me. Devola and Popola, and Adam and Eve. Got it?" 

"Yep." said Eve.

"Got it." said Popola.

The search then began.

*Transition*

A2 walked through the caverns. She had a Type-4O blade and sword, her old weapons. And she had her old apparel on as well. She had deserted once again to hunt 2B. But A2 did not care that she was once again an enemy of YoRHa, as far as she knew, the person she cared about the most was dead. She felt some kind of connection with him, he was truly someone precious to her, now he was gone. And she could tell that his killer was somewhere near by.

"Where are you 2B..." she muttered, She looked around, she heard some rocks fall. As she ran to the source of the sound, she saw that there were foot prints. She followed them and they eventually led her to 2B, the murderer of Lars. "STOP RIGHT THERE!!" she screamed.

2B stopped dead in her tracks, to 2B, it was her past coming back to haunt her. She turned with fear to see a bloodthirsty, enraged A2. "A2..." she said weakly, "I'm sorr-"

"Shut up! Sorry won't bring him back! You murdered him..." she began to cry, "You butchered him, without a second thought. You're a monster 2B, you've already killed 9S. But that wasn't enough wasn't it? You had to go after Lars too? How could you? You knew that he can't come back, you _knew_ that he's only human, yet still." she wiped her tears away. 

All of these words made 2B stumble back as she could not even say anything.

A2 pointed her sword and looked at 2B with eyes of pure hate, "Now you die..."

*Drakengard 2 Fate*

A2 jumped forward, attempting to finish it with one blow, but much to her surprise, 2B parried it. 2B was going to fight back? This only worsened A2's mind, as she began attacking with more ferocity. She took her blade and attempted to swing it down on 2B, she in return countered with Virtuous-Treaty. As the blade was knocked aside, A2's hatred only grew more and more inside of her.

"You know you killed him!" screamed A2, "Why are you still fighting?!" No response from 2B. "ANSWER ME!!" A2 charged forward and met 2B head on with her sword. As they collided, they flew through a wall. "I've lost him! The one I swore to protect!" she shouted, "Now he's gone! And you're still fighting? How much worse can you get?!" she switched weapons to a lance and combat bracers. As she did this, so did 2B. Except, 2B only switched out her small sword for a lance. A2 lunged forward and struck 2B, but before she could punch again, 2B hit the bracer up with her lance. 2B was going to stab A2 out of instinct, but stopped.

A2 took this opportunity to whack 2B with her lance. She threw it toward 2B, and she countered. 2B threw her lance into the ground and began spinning on it, swinging her large sword with her leg. A2 managed to counter with her bracers but was knocked back. She was sent flying into a wall, shattering it. A2 looked up to see 2B attempting to escape, "No..." she said. A2 shot one of her bracers into 2B's back. 2B grunted heavily and fell to the floor, only to heave herself hack to her feet.

2B looked forward to see A2 about to thrust her lance in her black box managed to knock the lance aside with her sword. Then, 2B switched back to her smaller sword and began going on the offensive, A2 did the same and switched to her normal sword. A2 had no trouble at all blocking 2B's strikes, but 2B also didn't have a problem to block A2's. "Why are you still fighting?! At least tell me that!" shouted A2, 2B said nothing and just gritted her teeth.

"Is it just your instincts? Or do you wanna kill me too!?" still 2B remained silent. A2's attacks only grew with more power and strength. 2B was beginning to have trouble blocking A2's blows. "That's it! You're going down!" A2 jumped backward. She began violently shaking as red energy formed around her.

"Alert: Unit A2 is going to use B-mode. Proposal: Unit 2B should leave combat zone." stated Pod-042. 2B followed what her Pod was saying, and began to try and escape, but before she could leave, A2 appeared in front of her and kicked her straight in the stomach. As A2 jumped around and attacked even more, 2B was having more and more trouble blocking her attacks. But as 2B saw what little she could, she saw that A2's body was beginning to break down.

"A2..." she said weakly, "Your body... It's-" she was cut off when A2 cut her right across her stomach area.

"Don't act like you care for me now!" she cut her again and threw 2B into a wall, "You couldn't give less than a damn for me back then, you gave no damn when you murdered Lars! So don't even start! 'cause it's too late..." 2B attempted to get up once more, but A2 slashed her knees, only giving 2B another painful memory of the sight of Lars. 2B looked up to see A2 raising her sword, this was it. She was going to die...

"STOP!" screamed a voice.

A2 and 2B both looked at the entrance to see Lars...

"Lars?" asked A2.

"Just stop, please A2..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw, I'm a huge fan of Jeff Bridges. So I decided that God would be kinda like the dude. Call me sacrilegious if you will.


	21. Atonement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lars has returned, but what will A2 and 2B think? And how can they face a wave foes in this sorry state? Will they even be back together?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to post more.

They stood in silence. Until A2 finally broke it, "Lars?" she dropped her sword and merely stared at him. "You're... alive?" tears began streaming down her eyes. She couldn't believe it, was it really him? She dropped her sword, as it clattered on the ground, she began advancing towards him.  _"Is it really you?"_ A2 thought.

Lars just stood there and waited for A2 to come to him, as if he knew what she was going to do. And he did.

A2 made her way to Lars, and stepped forward. She knelt down and held him. Softly, she pressed the side of her head against his chest, just like when they first met. 

*Thump. Thump. Thump*

His heart was beating, there was no black box, no machine core. This was no crude copy of him. He had a human heart, and it really was Lars. 

A2 stood back up and stared at Lars. She wanted to say something, not just anything but something with emotion, but alas, "How?" was all she could muster.

Lars took her hand held it with both of his. He grasped it with minimal force, but enough so she could feel some warmth, "It's me, A2. It's me, I'm alive..." he gave her a smile.

"I thought I'd lost you..." she began to cry, "I thought... you were gone forever..." she sobbed. A2 fell to her knees and began crying, full on crying. "2B... she murdered you... she butchered you... without any mercy."

Lars knelt in front of her and wrapped his arms around her,"She didn't do it out of her own free will, A2. Another enemy was controlling her, and even if she wasn't being controlled... This is wrong. Killing 2B wouldn't have brought me back, it wouldn't have made you feel better, it would only perpetuate a cycle of hate and sorrow." he put his hand over his heart, " _I_ wouldn't have been happy. I don't want my friends to fight with each other, ever. What you were going to do, I understand it, but that doesn't make it right A2..." now Lars began crying.

A2 looked up at him, "Y-you... I'm sorry... I really am..." she cried.

Lars looked over to 2B, "And you... 2B, I-I forgive you. You don't need to run anymore, 9S, A2, everyone, and me. We'll always be by your side. So please, come back to us! If not for my sake, then for Nines' sake! Please..."

2B could not do anything, all she could do is stare at Lars, "I've done so many things that I can't atone for... I can't come back... I don't deserve to-"

"Dammit 2B! Why can't you understand?!" shouted Lars, "Don't you get it? It's not about the things you've done... I admit it! I'm selfish! I want you to come back, so that we may be whole again! To hell with what you've done in the past! I could give less than a damn for what you did to me! I'm alive aren't I? Just come back to us! These are orders, and have you forgotten? I'm your Commander, and I order you to return to us!" Lars panted. He immediately felt sorry for what he said, but his feelings were true.

2B only stared again at Lars, she could not trust herself with Lars, with 9S. She couldn't trust herself anymore, "2B!" she heard a voice shout, she should've known that if Las was here, then 9S would be as well.

She looked past Lars to see him, she was horrified to see 9S here, did he despise her? "2B, please... Come back to us!" he said, "Like Lars, I don't care about what happened in the past. He's alright! And here he is, please... I can't live without you, 2B. I-I need you..." he embraced 2B. 

In response, she raised her arms. Much to her own surprise, she held 9S. "9S, your feelings... are they true? After all the atrocities I've committed, to you, to Lars. You still-"

"Yeah, I do..." 9S looked into 2B's eyes, "2B, I-I-I love you! I've loved you for as long as I could remember! So that's why! That's why I can't live without you, a world without you, is just one I don't want to stay in!"

2B, looked at him back, a tear trickled down her face. 9S' feelings were genuine. Lars' feelings were genuine. She knew emotions were prohibited, but she could not hold herself back anymore. 2B cried once more, "9S, Lars... Thank you for accepting me..." she sobbed. "Both of you..."

Through her tears, she saw A2 stand back up and walk to her. Instead of attacking 2B, A2 stuck out her hand, "2B, I... I'm sorry. What I was going to do was wrong, guess I should've looked at the whole story. But I didn't, and this happened. Forgive me..." said A2.

"Yeah, I forgive you." 2B smiled a bit. 

They were back together. Lars and 9S have succeeded. "Let's never split again, I don't think I'll be able to handle this whole ordeal again." said Lars.

"Agreed." said 9S. "Now let's get outta-" 

9S was cut off by a loud bang. Devola, Popola, Adam, and Eve ran through the cave entrance, they were all pretty battered and banged-up.

*Song of the Ancients Atonement* 

"We have to go!" shouted Adam, "It seems that Dan has all of us where he wants!" A machine appeared behind him, but he kicked it back. 

"What?" asked Lars, a machine jumped toward him and his friends. Lars activated his force-field and deflected the blow. Devola jumped up behind the machine and sliced it down the middle. 

"We have to go!" she shouted.

"Right, Adam! Can you open a portal!?" asked Lars.

"I'm being blocked! There should be another way out of these caverns, but we need to _make_ the exit!" shouted he.

"Fine! Adam, Eve. You guys start making that exit! 2B! A2! You guys stand back. Devola and Popola, help me and 9S defend!"

"Got it!" shouted Popola. She and Devola began cutting through the machines. Lars and 9S did the same, 9S began hacking many machines and destroying countless amounts of them.

"Shit, there's no end to them!" he cursed.

"Nines! Can you and the twins hold them for a bit?"

"Yeah."

"Good, do it!"

9S ran forward and began helping the twins. Lars stood and concentrated. Dark aura formed around him and he sent a shot flying forward, the ball of darkness consumed each and every single thing it touched. Next Lars put his sword on his shoulder an concentrated once again. Magic circles formed all around him, Lars spun in a circle and swung his sword up. Pikes from the ground scattered everywhere, impaling hundreds of machines, but still they come. "Damn it." cursed he.

Lars held his left fist in the air, several dark arms materialized, "Move it!" he shouted. The three saw him and quickly jumped out of the way. Lars swung each and every single one of the arms down on the enemies and pulverized them. But it seemed useless, no matter how many he destroyed, more just came. Lars had no other choice but to run and begin swinging his blade, he cut down a machine with ease and blocked a blow from a big one, he was locked in the position and he was beginning to get over-powered. But before that could happen, A2 stabbed it through the core.

"A2?"

"2B might be too injured, but I'm not!" she swung the Type-4O blade and cut down several machines, "Gonna show me a good time?" she asked. She moved forward with Lars to fight more. But they just kept coming, as if there were an unlimited amount. A2 cut more down with every single swing of her blade. Lars decapitated three machines with a single swipe, and ripped out another's core. He glanced to see that Adam and Eve were nearly done.

"How's it going?" he asked.

"Almost! Hold them off just a bit more!" shouted Eve as he punched the stone again and again.

"Almost, eh?" he looked over to A2, "A2! Get back!"

A2 jumped back and saw Lars shoot a comet at machines. They exploded and their chunks flew everywhere.

"Got it!" shouted Eve, "Let's go!" 9S ran over and helped 2B up. As everyone was leaving through the exit, a medium machine tried to follow, but it was stopped by Devola. 

"Devola! Popola! Time to go!"

"No! We're staying!" shouted Popola, "We have to atone for our sins!"

Lars was almost through the exit, his sight of the two were being blocked by more and more machines that were swarming them. "Just go! This is how we're going to atone!" shouted Devola, she was slashed by a machine just then.

 _No_ _..._

"Lars! Just go!" cried Popola.

_No._

"Lars! We can't hold them off any longer!" screamed Devola.

"NOOOOO!!" screamed Lars.

*Song of the Ancients Fate*

Lars ran back into the cavern, despite the callings of the others. "You guys go on ahead! I've gotta help them!"

Lars jumped into the center and sent multiple doppelgangers everywhere, destroying many machines. "Lars! What're you doing?" asked Devola.

"I'm saving you two! Isn't that obvious?" Lars cut machine after machine down with precision strikes and swings. 

"But, we have to atone! We have to atone for out sins!" said Popola

"No! You're not going to do that by dying!" he cut more and more machines down. Lars jumped and shot seven balls of fire down on the machines, then he spread his wings and rained down fire on them, melting and blowing them to oblivion. Lars jumped back down and stabbed a machine going for Devola. "No one's dying here! Not on my watch!" He blew all of them back with his dark arms. "You can atone by living! And staying by my side as I make my journey! That's how you both will atone! But, not by dying! I'm not losing anyone! Not anymore!"

Lars shot several dark blasts forward and destroyed more and more machines, he jumped on the walls and cleaved through many machines in the process. Devola and Popola only looked on in shock, "But-" Popola was cut off.

"No 'but's'! Now go! I'll catch up! I swear it." He grabbed his mask and put it on. Six tendrils came out and connected themselves to the modules. As the eyes glowed violet, Lars began running at higher speeds and swinging with more power. He cut through more and more machines. But, it was true. There was an unlimited amount of these machines. Suddenly Lars had an idea. He cleared out the machines guarding the exit and used the dark arm to grab the twins. 

"What're you? NO! You can't be serious!" shouted Popola.

"You damn hypocrite!" screamed Devola, "This is suicide! Let us go! Right NOW!" she screamed. No response from Lars. "No! No! NO! STOP!! YOU'LL DIE!!! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR WORDS JUST A MOMENT AGO?!"

"LARS!" screamed Popola. But before Popola could run back in, Lars hit the top of the exit, causing it to cave in and blocked it. 

"Let us through!" shouted Popola. She slammed her fists on the rocks. "Damn it..." she sobbed. Before she could try and use the dark arm, Adam came and picked her up. Eve picked Devola up as well.

"Let us go! He's still in there!" shouted Devola.

"And he'll be out soon, I know it." said Adam, as he carried Popola away, Eve carrying Devola.

*Transition*

Lars cut down more of them. He shocked one and threw it into the others. "There really is no end to you bastards..." he panted. "In that case..." Lars raised a wall and the machines tried to pound on it. Lars expanded the walls outward, "Most of my remaining mana, all into one attack..." Lars put his blade on his shoulder. Several Dark Lances formed around him. As Lars put his sword down and bought it up, the lances all merged into one enormous spear. "Take this... YOU BASTARDS!" screamed Lars.

He deactivated the walls and swung the giant magical weapon around. Destroying each and every single machine there was in the room. "THIS IS THE POWER!! OF A HUMAN!!" Lars swung it around more and more, annihilating every machine. Lars stabbed the top of the entrance, and it caved in. The machines stopped coming in, he had done it.

*Fade*

Lars panted as the remains of the machines all shut down. "I did it." He looked around, "Now to find a way out..."

*Transition*

2B, A2, and 9S all sat outside of the cave system. Adam and Eve came out carrying Devola and Popola. The female twins were set down by the male twins. The pair began crying, they felt as if they've failed once again.

"We couldn't save him..." sobbed Popola.

"A2... We're so sorry. He fought for us, yet... we couldn't do anything in return." said Devola.

A2 looked around. Lars was no where to be seen, did she lose him again? No. No. No! Not again! "LARS!" she screamed.

Just then, a figure burst right out of the ground a few yards away from them. It was Lars, his wings shut off while he was in mid-air and he began falling to the ground. Luckily, A2 ran in and caught him just in time. "Hey..." panted Lars, "Thanks." the rain was refreshing as it splashed on his face.

"Never. Do. That again" said A2, she looked at Lars and smiled. A bright smile.

"Sorry I worried you guys." He got his mask, "Anemone, this is Lars. We're returning with 2B and A2."

"Understood Lars. See you at camp."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song of the Ancients Fate will be used again. Later.  
> And sorry, but it's a rather short chapter.


	22. Explanations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lars must explain what happened. And get 2B, and A2 back into YoRHa. And he gets a new idea for Adam and Eve. Will A2 finally reveals to Lars how she feels?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dunno what to say, oh! That's right, every time you read the summary of each chapter, play Weapon Select from Drakengard 1.  
> Your choice.

When Lars and his party arrived, the YoRHa and Resistance androids immediately drew their weapons at the sight of 2B and A2. And Adam and Eve. "Fuck! I forgot to put you guys back!" cursed Lars.

"Well, no turning back now." Adam said, he looked at Lars, "I suppose you have some explaining to do. Anyway, time has run out." Both Adam and Eve turned back into light and entered Lars.

"What the hell was that? Were those two Adam and Eve?! And what'er you doing with the deserters?" asked an android.

"I'll explain everything in due time! Just please put the weapons down! Er... that's an order!" shouted Lars.

The Resistance and YoRHa androids put their weapons down and Anemone stepped forward. "Okay, what's happening? Why were you with Adam and Eve?" That last part was more of a demand than a question.

"Look, I'll explain everything in a moment with a data-spread, but right now I need to clear things up with White."

Anemone sighed, "Alright, you can use one of those terminals over there to contact her. But, we have to put 2B and A2 in holding cells."

"What? Why?" asked 9S as he was patching up 2B.

"Sorry, 9S. Standard protocols, don't worry, no harm will come to them." she said. Two Resistance androids came and escorted 2B and A2 away to one of the buildings. As that happened, Lars told 9S to stay with the two until the Commander arrived.

Lars walked over to one of the terminals and called 21O, "21O, can you patch me in with the Commander?"

"Affirmative, patching you in sir."

"Ugh..." groaned Lars.

The Commander's face popped on the screen. "Ah, you're alive, did you recover 2B and A2?"

"Yes, but I need to discuss things with you. And bring 19H with you please, I'm pretty banged up."

"Very well, I'll be there in half an hour, see you then." responded she. The screen shut off and Lars walked away.

"Now to do that data spread..." he said. Lars grabbed his mask and began looking through it, "There it is." he said. He selected all the files needed including Adam and Eve then proceeded to spread it all over the network. "That'll do. Now to wait, YoRHa's bound to see this."

Lars decided that the next thing to do was to go down and talk to 2B and A2. When he got there, they all looked at him. 2B and A2 through cells and 9S was on a bench. "Lars..." said 2B, "I'm sorr-"

"I don't want to hear it, I already told you I forgive you. Look the Commander'll be here in a bit. Once I clear things up with her, you'll both be free. Soon. Nines, stay with them 'till then would you?"

"Yeah, I'll keep 'em company, you can count on me. We 9S models are the best around you know. Though we're not known for our modesty." he smiled.

"And I don't doubt you one bit, my friend. See you guys in a bit." 

When Lars walked out of the building, he was swarmed with questions, "Adam and Eve are inside you?"

"Since when can our enemies control us?"

"There's a God? And he likes to be called 'The Dude'?"

"How can we fight?" 

"Look, I'm not in the mood to answer all of your guys' questions. Please, I have to wait for the Commander!" he responded. It took the Commander actually getting to the camp to break up the crowd. 19H was with her, so that helped quite a bit. They decided to talk at the med-bay.

Whilst Lars was being patched up, the Commander began, "So enlighten me, what happened?"

"Well, on that destroy mission, 2B and I encountered a new enemy. He goes by the name, 'Dan'. Dan was incredibly powerful and it didn't take him long to overwhelm the both of us. Eventually, after the both of us were beaten, he took control of 2B's mind to kill me. She succeeded and after she returned to her senses, 2B ran off out of guilt. I can only assume that not long after, 9S and A2 got there and A2 watched the footage in my mask's memory. But that was damaged and she didn't get the full story." he explained.

"Is that why she went for revenge?" asked the Commander.

"Yeah, eventually, 9S, Devola, Popola, went with me to try and find them. And," he leaned in to the Commander, "a little extra help. From those two."

"Is that so?" asked White as Lars was pulled back by 19H.

"Yeah, now here we are, you see. It's not 2B's fault, neither is it A2's. The part where I got resurrected is in the data-spread in Caim's network."

The Commander quickly looked and suddenly looked very confused. "You met God?" she asked, "Don't be ludicrous."

"I'm not. I was dead, 2B stabbed me in a fatal area and I died, but I came back. It's the truth, how do you think I got these?" Lars showed her the super-nova lockets.

"Fine, I'll take it for now. Anyway, I'm headed back for the Bunker. 2B and A2's acts of treason will be erased. I hope you aren't lying about this story." she was about to walk away but Lars stopped her.

"White, I forgot one last thing." he said, his voice was shaken.

"What is it?"

"Adam and Eve, well. How do I explain this? Everyone saw them..."

The Commander looked at Lars with a very exacerbated face, "I can't believe you were that careless..." she said, then she sighed, "I hope you know what to do... otherwise we'll have a big problem." She put a hand over half of her face.

_"Well, it seems it's time to find us new bodies. We'll move out and return to our full power._ _"_ he heard Adam say.

"Well, I have this one idea." 

"Let's hear it..." the Commander said impatiently.

"The both of them should have some more bodies I can transfer them to. Only, there's a catch..."

"You don't know where to find them do you?" asked the Commander.

"Yeah..."

The Commander reached into the air and a small tablet materialized in her hand. "This is a map of the entire region," she pointed to a red dot, " _This_ is a machine stronghold, so there's a strong chance you'll find their bodies." she handed it to Lars and he examined it, " If they are not found, these are other locations you can go to." other smaller dots appeared, "I expect this device to be returned to me as soon as you return. In the mean time, I'll explain everything to YoRHa." she turned to walk back and 19H followed, "And Lars?"

"Yes, White?"

"Please, be more careful." she sighed. The Commander walked back to the shuttle and entered. As it lifted off, Lars stared off into the distance.

"I should tell the 2B and A2." he sighed. Lars looked at the tablet and began walking down to the cell. "2B, A2? You both are free." Lars smiled at both of them. The Resistance guard nodded and released the locks on the cells. "How do you both feel?"

"I'm fine." said A2, "Thanks for asking."

"I'm good." said 2B quietly, "How are  _you_ feeling?"

"Hungry. And very thirsty." responded Lars, he reached into his bag and pulled out a nutrition brick and a water bottle. As he began eating, he felt his strength returning to him. "I'm gonna go out to look for bodies for Adam and Eve. You guys wanna come?"

"No, I'm going to stray here with 2B, she needs a lot of maintenance. Sorry, Lars." said 9S. 

"It's cool. A2?"

"I'll go. I've recovered from going berserk." she looked at Lars, she said nothing yet, Lars could tell she wanted to speak to him about something. It seemed important judging from her eyes.

"Alright, let's go." said Lars after he drank all his water. 

*Fast Forward*

Two hours later, A2 and Lars had almost made it to their destination. Lars looked at White's tablet and saw that they were nearing the stronghold. As he looked from afar, he could see that machines were already stationed up front. "Pincer attack." muttered Lars. A2 nodded and drew the Type-4O sword. She ran to the right as Lars ran to the left.

"The enemy has arrived, attack!" shouted a machine, right before Lars sliced it in half. He began dodging and parrying machine attacks and saw that A2 was doing the same, except she was fighting way faster and with more force. Lars decided he wasn't going to be shown up and began using his time manipulation to quickly dismember any and all machines he could see. Whilst he did this, A2 grabbed a stubby machine's head and tore it right off the body.

When the two were done with the machines, they turned and walked into the stronghold. There were many hallways, but it wasn't a maze. "Signal's getting stronger." said Lars, finally they reached a door. Lars looked at the door, and the proceeded to look for a control to open it. But A2 had a much more simpler solution, she nudged Lars behind her and swung the Type-4O blade into the door, demolishing it. There they were, the Adam and Eve bodies...

"Alright, can you guys get out now?" asked Lars. Two balls of light exited Lars' body and entered the limp, lifeless shells. The began moving and groaning as if they hadn't moved in ages, in which they didn't.

They both stretched their limbs and looked around, "It feels good to be in my body again." stated Eve.

"Yes, it does." added Adam, he looked at Lars, "But this means we've permanently exited your body. Those temporary bodies were made by you, that means that we were still part of you back then. And it's not like we can connect back to the network now that we're basically fragments from your mind."

"Wait, so if you both die now. Then that means..." said Lars.

"We die forever. It's quite simple. Anyway, we'll return to our original place on top of that building." he pointed out of a hole in the ceiling, "You know where to find us, until next time, Lars." he and Eve then teleported out of the strong hold. 

"Alright, mission accomplished. Let's head back." said Lars. "I gotta clean my body."

"Lars wait." A2 suddenly said. 

"Yeah? Is something the matter?" asked Lars, he turned back to look at A2. 

"Lars... I... I..." A2 looked conflicted, like she wanted to cry again, but she took a deep breath and sighed, "Lars, when I first met you, I thought of you as a liability. You were human, with no memories and you could fight yes. I saw you hold your own against 9S. But you had no chance in hell in beating 2B, yet you tried anyway. I told you to kill her while she was down and you were going to do it. The next time we met, you risked everything to save  _me_. The Commander was the one who put everything in order for you and still you opposed her without hesitation, even if it meant your death."

A2 paused a moment, then continued. "My opinion of you was starting to change. On your first mission to fight Adam and Eve, you charged in with no fear or hesitation, you were reckless. I admit it, I was afraid... that you would lose your life. I didn't know why I worried about you a while ago. But I did. As more and more time passed, I felt as if you were getting more close to me, and it was the same for me. I started getting closer and closer to  _you_. After we defeated Eve, I had decided that you were the one I wanted to protect with everything that I have. And when you told me the truth about humanity, I broke down."

"Lars, I wanted to end my own life right there and then. I had thought that all I fought for was for nothing. But I soon realized that I'd be fighting for  _you_." she began to cry, "And when you died. My world shattered, I lost the one I cared about the most all over again. And at the hands of another friend, so I went on a quest for revenge. But now then, you, the light in my life came back. Lars, I... I don't want to lose you ever again." she sobbed, she looked at Lars, "I don't know if it's a flaw in my programming, or if my feelings are true... But, I guess what I'm trying to say is, Lars, I  _love_ you."

"A2..." was all Lars could say, until he too mustered up the courage to speak, "Is this really okay? You're and android, and I'm just a human. You're really telling me the truth?"

"Yeah, I guess I am. I love you, Lars. I didn't ever say it before because I didn't think I could. But after you died, I thought I'd lost that chance. Now that, you're back, I could say it. Strange is it?"

"No, not at all." said Lars, "I'm fine with it. But, I'm not the exactly the best guy. What we have, it's gonna take some time. So you're going to have to be patient with me. You okay with that?"

"You have to ask?" she walked up to Lars and leaned in. 

He knew what this meant. And he too decided to lean in. Their lips connected and Lars felt safe, very safe. And very warm. They had kissed.

A2 found the one to protect and love. Lars had found love in her. He decided that he would protect her with everything he had as well.

She wrapped her arms around his body and there they stood for quite a while, until they finally broke their pose.

"Lars." said A2 with a smile, "Thank you, for giving me reason to live."

"No, thank  _you_ A2. You've just made me the happiest person ever. Now, let's go home." smiled he.

Lars held her hand as they headed back, "Another human custom?" asked A2.

"Yeah." said Lars, "Seems like I've got some things to teach you about a relationship."

"Yeah, you sure do."

And with that, A2 and Lars began their return to the Resistance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooray! Lars is apparently a robo-sexual. Meh.


	23. Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last Lars appears. He will make everyone play rather simple but twisted games. If what he claims is true, then he is the most powerful Lars in Sral's faction. And he will force Zero Lars to make the hardest decision of his entire life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter was kinda short, so I'll compensate by making this one longer. Also this chapter will start off kinda goofy, but I might do a bad job transitioning it. Also, I think I use commas too much.  
> Sorry for the late post, this one is PRETTY long.  
> And remember, read slowly, but not too slow.

It didn't take long for Lars and A2 to reach the Resistance again. When they were arrived, Lars was once again bombarded with questions. He knew there was no escaping it this time. So he just had to answer them, every single one of them.

"So how did Adam and Eve enter your mind again?"

"When Eve took my memories, he had to dive into my mind and left a fragment of himself there. When Adam put his voice in my head, he also left a fragment."

"What did God look like?"

"He looked really casual, bathrobe, t-shirt, and shorts for some reason. Drank a can of beer." Lars didn't last for fifteen minutes, he eventually cracked and pulled out his authority card. "Will you all leave me alone? Just believe the data spread!" he shouted. He quickly rushed to his room after that and slammed the door shut. A2, 2B and 9S were all already there. "Hey guys, what's up?"

9S started chuckling and he saw 2B smile just a bit, "A2 was telling us how you guys are in a relationship now, good job, man." stated 9S.

Lars started blushing like crazy with an embarrassed face and it made A2 begin to laugh, "You look really cute when you look embarrassed." she laughed.

In response, Lars tried to formulate a response but all he could do was fumble with his words and stutter every thing that came out, "Y-y-yeah, t-thanks guys..." was all he could say.

"Anyway, 2B and I will be leaving you two together, see you tomorrow." said 9S as the two of them left the room.

Lars sighed and sat down on his bed beside A2. He felt A2 get close to him, "You should wash. My sensors are picking up quite the odor from you." said she. "I'll come with you." A2 took Lars by the hand and began leading him to another building. The sun had set quite a while ago, so the stars and the moon filled up the entire night-sky. When they entered the building, Lars could hear water running and running conversations about various things.

"The Resistance androids shower? Why?" asked he.

"I dunno. Why does YoRHa have a bath house?" responded A2.

"I guess." said Lars, his eyes widened nearly to the size of dinner plates when he saw A2 begin to undress. "Wh-what're you doing?!" asked he with embarrassment, shock, and fear in his voice.

"I'm undressing. I'm showering, too. What's the matter? I thought you saw me naked before?"

"Not entirely! I mean... I've always been told that it's indecent to look at a bare woman! I mean, you're an android but still!" 

"Huh, well. What if I'm fine with it?" asked A2. "Come on, man up." she said to him. Lars didn't respond, he only began to undress himself. But before he was even done taking his coat off, A2 was already finished and grabbed towels.  "Hurry it up would you?"

"Y-yeah." Lars averted his eyes away from A2's body as much as possible, it seemed like she didn't mind if she was exposing herself. He wrapped the towel around his waist and followed A2. When they actually entered the shower room, steam covered up mostly every thing in sight. But stalls could be seen through the steam, except they were short so Lars could see the heads of the ones who were showering, but they still covered up the torsos and half of the lower body. Thank God for that. Lars did not want to get an erection, that would be very awkward. So he entered a stall, and A2 entered the one to the right of him. Whilst they washed, Lars thought of something to say.

"H-hey, A2?" were the words that came out.

"What is it?" responded she.

"Do you... do you think you could stay with me for tonight?" 

"Alright."

"Oooooh! Looks like the second Commander of YoRHa has a girlfriend!" the android on his left howled.

"Hah!" another one laughed. "Sorry, Arrow, looks like he's taken!"

"Damn it all!" shouted another one.

Lars looked to his left and saw three androids. They were all female and he actually recognized them. "Weren't you guys the ones that Caim called out a while ago?"

"Crap! We made it obvious! Let's split!" shouted the one dubbed Arrow." The three androids quickly fled out of the room.

"The hell was that about?" asked A2.

"Yeah, those three spied on me, Caim, and Lawsh when we trained that once time." 

"Great..." said A2. She looked rather inflamed by the looks of it. "Well, that's enough for me." she said.

"Me, too." Lars and A2 walked out of the stalls and Lars made the mistake of looking to his left, he just saw A2, wet, and wearing nothing. He glowed bright red and looked away with a yelp.

*Few Minutes Later*

Lars sat on his bed with A2. His face was still very red, and he just couldn't get the image of A2 without any clothes on out of his head. It was as if it were engraved into his mind forever. She was still laughing because of the both the face and sound he made. "I still don't see what the big deal is." said A2.

"Well, here's the thing. I'm just... shy I guess..." stuttered Lars.

"You can take on life threatening enemies and situations, but you can't handle seeing my breasts?" asked A2, "I find that hard to believe."

"Can we just go to bed? I'm just... tired."

"Yeah, sure." A2 and Lars got into their positions. As Lars pulled covers over the both of them, A2 asked him, "You want me to hold you?"

"This time, I'll do it." said Lars, "If I'm gonna man up, this'll be the first step."

"Alright then. Good night." responded A2.

"Good night." Lars carefully wrapped his arms around A2. He couldn't sleep, that is until A2's soft snores began making him more and more drowsy. His eyelids got more and more heavy as he finally drifted off to the dream world.

*The next morning*

The birds chirped signalling that morning had come. As Lars began to awaken, he saw that he was still holding A2 in his arms. She was still soundly asleep, Lars woke her up. Her eyes fluttered awake as she began to rise. A2 rubbed her eyes, sleepily and turned to look at Lars, her groggy look slowly turned into a small smile, "Mornin'. Sleep well?" asked she.

"Yeah, really well." responded Lars.  He stood from the bed and began washing himself. After taking care of all his human necessitates, he got dressed. When Lars came out of his bathroom, he saw that A2 was once again dressed in the armor that YoRHa gave her. "You're wearing that again?"

"Yeah, figured I'd look like I'm part of YoRHa again. Wanna go for a walk? Weather should hold up and we have no orders at the moment."

"That sounds nice." Lars looked at his counter and saw White's tablet.  "Before we do that, can you give this back to White?" 

"Sure." A2 picked up the tablet, "Is this the Commander's terminal?"

"Yup, she asked me to return it as soon as possible. Can you?"

"Right. I'll be right back." As A2 headed outside, Lars looked at the book that Caim had left for him. Once again, he looked into it. As he flipped through the pages, he saw something new catch his eye. It was a drawing of him, fighting Sral. "Did he draw this?" asked Lars. Just then, A2 came into his room carrying something in her hands. "What's that?"

"After I returned The Commander's terminal, she handed me a black terminal and told me it was yours. You _are_ a field commander. She told me that you'll use this to issue commands and use this for maps and mission plans." A2 handed the terminal to Lars. He looked at the sleek, jet black, terminal. "Peachy isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is." said Lars, he saw a circle and placed his thumb on it. Suddenly, the screen flashed to life with coding and words. 

"Bio-metrics scanned, user identified as: YoRHa Commander 0C."

The screen had four icons on it, all labeled, thank God. Lars read each and every single one of them, one said "Map". Another said, "Orders", then, "Communication" finally, "Mission Plan". The background was the YoRHa symbol. But one more icon popped up, "Message" it said. Lars tapped on the screen and a message popped up. It was from White, "If you're reading this message, then I assume you've activated the terminal. I trust that you'll use this wisely. Now listen, this device is practically indestructible, and it is dent-proof, water-proof, as well. You are a field Commander, which means that you'll be fighting battles and issuing commands while you fight if need be. Good luck." Lars read out loud. "This thing is awesome."

Lars and A2 walked out of the room, only to find that the entire camp was in a panic. "What's going on?" asked A2.

"Anemone's missing!" shouted a member, "We're all trying to find her, but she's not even in the surrounding area, even our scouts in the city ruins have been searching everywhere, and they still can't find her!"

"Damn." said Lars, "Let's put this thing to use." He pulled out his tablet and opened up his orders, "All YoRHa units in this region will conduct a search for the Resistance Leader Anemone. Search every corner, and building she could be in. MOVE! We can't lose her!" he turned to A2, "We're going, too."

"Got it." she said. "Let's go."

"Wait!" shouted a voice, Lars and A2 looked behind them, it was Devola, and Popola was with her. "We're coming, too." she said.

"No, you both should stay here. I've already put you both through too much." said Lars.

"Yeah, we know. But we owe Anemone." said Popola, "We're coming whether you like it or not."

"No arguing with them." stated A2, "We could use more help."

"Alright, let's go then." responded Lars.

Whilst they ran, Lars put his mask over his face and called 2B. "Lars? We got your orders."

"Good, let's rendezvous here. I'll mark it on your guys' map, meet you both there."

"Co-ordinates received, see you there." said 2B.

"Where are we going?" asked A2.

"Getting help."

When the four reached the building, 2B and 9S were already there. "Why'd you want us to meet here?" asked 9S.

"Stay here. I'll be right back." Lars flew up to the roof. When he got there, there was Adam and Eve sitting at a very long and fancy dinner table. Adam looked up from his book and Eve paused before taking another bite of his apple.

"Oh? What a pleasant surprise. Would you like a cup of tea?" asked Adam, "I've recently made earl gray, and judging from your memories, I know that's one of your favorites."

"That sounds lovely, but I need your guys' help. Anemone's missing, and we need as much help as we can get to find her." responded Lars.

"Well, alright them." said Adam, he took one last sip of his tea and set his book down. "Let's go, Eve." he said.

"Okay." Eve swallowed his apple whole and Lars opened a portal back to the ground. As they stepped out of the portal, the other five were already there. 

"Party of eight. Let's go." 

The eight members searched everywhere. They searched for hours. But Anemone was nowhere to be found. While they were searching the sink hole in the city ruins, 9S spotted a little car. "Hey, that looks like-!" he didn't finish his sentence, he just ran over to it and stared in shock. When the others ran over to it, 2B, A2, and Lars saw that it was Emil's body, but where was his head? "Emil." said 9S. Just then, he got a call. Pod-153 turned on a screen and a machine was on it.

"You must help us! Pascal has gone missing! Last time we saw him, he said he was going to the flooded city! He said he was going to be back in a few hours, but it has been half a day! Please, find our leader!" the machine shouted.

"I think there's a connection." said Lars, "Think of it, Anemone goes missing, then we find Emil's body, and now Pascal? We're heading to the flooded city." then  _Lars_ got a call. 

"Commander!" shouted the YoRHa captain, "A large structure has risen out of the water in the flooded city! And none of us can get _near_ it! A voice of a child calls for you and your companions! What should we do?"

"I'll get there first. And do not, under any circumstances shoot at anyone I'm with. Got it?" asked Lars.

"Understood! 91G, out." said she.

"Final nail in the coffin, let's go." said Lars.

*Minutes Later*

When the eight of them got there, a few of the YoRHa soldiers almost killed Adam and Eve, but were stopped by Lars. "This... structure. It's calling for you!" shouted 91G. "What do we do?" Lars gestured to be quite and stepped forward. 

"What do you want?!" he shouted. 

An eye opened on the structure and looked directly at Lars, "Oh? The real question is what do  _you_ want?" 91G was correct, it was a voice of a child.

"What the hell do you mean?" asked Lars.

"You want to rescue the people inside this tower don't you? Isn't that why you're here?"

"Yeah, it is..."

"Well then." A bridge extended onto the building that everyone they were standing on, and a door opened. "Come on in, if you want to save your friends. Be warned, there are about five stages, clear 'em all and you might save your friends. But each stage gets harder and harder." said the one speaking.

"Should we really go in?" asked 9S. "This could be a trap." 

"We've got no other choice. Let's go in." said Lars grimly, he then turned to 91G, "Captain, if we're not out in four hours, I give you full authority to order all your troops and the Resistance troops here to open fire on this structure."

"But Commander-"

"That's an order, Captain. Don't worry, we'll be out before then. But, until then, just wait here." 

"Understood." she said.

Lars and the other seven stepped onto the bridge. The moment all of them did, the bridge began to pull back to structure and they all got inside. When the door closed, darkness filled the entire room, then lights came on. "Alright, eight players. Perfect." said the voice, "Now it's time for the rules. Rule number one: no helpers or utilities." Suddenly the Pods and Lars' mask disappeared into light.

"What the?" asked 2B.

"Hey! Give them back!" shouted 9S.

"Rule number two: no weapons." everyone's weapons all left them. All of them were now unarmed. Even Lars' arm was stripped of it's weapons. The blade was missing and his smash cannon wasn't functioning. 

"You gotta be shitting me!" cursed A2.

"Rule number three: no magic." said the child.

A pulse of blue and red light hit Devola, Popola, Adam, Eve, and Lars. They all looked around, Popola attempted to summon a dark arm, but nothing happened. Lars tried as well, but nothing happened. "Oh, come ON!" shouted Lars, why the hell are you even taking our stuff?!"

"Well, that's because the games will be too easy other wise. Now that that's all cleared up, right this way please." a door opened in front of all of them. "Go on. You've all no choice."

All of them stepped in a room with a hatch on the floor and immediately, the door behind them slammed shut. "Fist Stage: Water Hazard." said a computer voice. Then music started playing.

*Bonetrousle (Extended)* 

"Water hazard?" asked 9S. 

Holes opened up on all walls, on the ceiling, and on the floor. Water began coming out of each of them. "Water? Androids and machines don't even need to breathe! Is this a joke?" asked Adam.

"Yeah, but humans need oxygen, and my mask is gone!" shouted Lars. "We need to open that hatch!" 

Devola quickly ran over to it and tried to twist the valve on the hatch. But she couldn't do it. "This thing's really strong!" she shouted. 2B and Popola tried to help her, but the three of them couldn't do it. Adam and Eve began pounding on the hatch with their energy arms, but they couldn't even scratch it, "9S! Can you hack it?" asked Devola.

"I'll try!" shouted 9S.  He sent a pulse of light into the hatch. But was immediately sent out. "The defenses on this are too strong! I can't do this alone!" he shouted. Adam, Eve, and Lars quickly ran through the water, Lars couldn't help but notice that the water was up past his knees now. The four of them began hacking, 9S was right. The defenses were really tough. Within a minute, all were shot down. 

"Damn it!" cursed Lars, he looked at the water, it had managed to reach all the way to his chest.

"I think I'll accelerate the water! Whaddya think?" asked the boy.

"Crap! You can't be serious!" shouted A2.

"I am..." the boy laughed, the water began rising at a faster rate now. Lars felt someone grab his shoulders and lift him.

"Up you go." said Eve. He gently set Lars down on his shoulders. "Let's try again."

The four of them tried again, but they were just decimated again. When Lars was sent back into the real world, he saw that practically everyone was completely submerged, and that the water had reached to his chest, and showed no sign of stopping. If he failed, he would likely drown. So this was his last shot. The four hacked one last time and actually managed to succeed. When they were thrown into the real world, all of them quickly jumped through the hatch and fell down a chute. 

All of them fell to the ground of another room, this room was much bigger and instead of having a hatch on the ground, there was a door. "Second Stage: Crushing Room." said the computerized voice.

"I don't like the sound of that." said 2B, she looked around and something caught her eye. "Look!" she shouted. there was some kind of button or switch. But there was no way to reach it. Stepping on each other's shoulders was out of the question. 

"I see what we have to do, press that switch and the walls will stop." said Eve, "Easy."

"Wait!" shouted Adam, but he was far too late. Eve shot out an arm and hit the switch, but that only sped up the walls. "Oops..." was all Eve could say. They had to look for another way out.

"A keypad!" shouted Lars. A2 quickly ran over to it and saw that a code was required. There were only numbers, but what was she supposed to put? 

"Here's a hint." said the boy, "It's my birthday." 

"A2! Try 030303!" yelled Lars.

A2 quickly pressed the code and the door actually opened? "Come on!" she shouted. the other seven ran as fast as they could into the hallway. The door closed behind them as the boy began to speak again. 

"So, by now I'm sure you can guess I'm also another Lars. But that one was a break, it's the easiest. But don't worry, the next two will be harder." another door way opened in front of them, "Better get goin'. Cause this is the third stage."

The next stage. "Let's hear it." said Lars.

"Stage Three: Fusion Flame." was all it said.

"Fusion Flame?" asked 9S. "Uh oh." Valves opened all over the room, and all of them spewed out fire. Everyone dodged successfully, except for 9S and Lars. A bit of 9S' arm was burned and a bit of Lars' cheek was rubbed by the fire. "You alright?" asked 9S.

"I'm fine, we gotta find an exit!" responded Lars.

"There is no exit! This is a survival!" laughed the boy.

"There's no way out?" asked Adam, "Well fine!" 

Adam proceeded to slam his leg into one of the barrels shooting fire and destroyed it. He then began shooting energy into several other valves. They all exploded as Eve got the same idea and destroyed the rest of them. "No fair!" shouted the voice, "You cheated!" he whined. "Fine! It's gonna be that way, huh?" another door opened, "Fourth stage is pretty hard." 

*Fade*

When the eight advanced into the next room, they noticed it was massive, bigger than the last three they've been to. "Stage Four: Ace of Clubs."

"Rules of this room are to only use your fist or legs, physical attacks only. That means no energy attacks, or hacking. Hah! Take that Adam and Eve!" Adam and Eve tried their energy attacks, but nothing happened.

*End of the Unknown 3D (Headphones for best quality)*

"Finally." said a new voice, " I get to avenge my mother... You damn animals took her from me. Now I the Ace of Clubs! Shall claim vengeance!" A figure floated down from the ceiling, he looked younger than the ones that they have fought recently. Almost around Lars' age. Something, came out of his back, they floated and slid onto his arms. They were metal gloves, he was armed, yet they were not.

"What? He has weapons?" asked Lars, "How is that fair?!"

"Take this as your punishment! Now, get ready to die!" shouted the boy as the ace dashed forward. He thrusted his fist forward and it almost hit Popola, had it not been for Eve. As they got back up, he was going to charge for them again, but Adam kicked him off course before his blow could land. Adam and Eve ran forward and attempted to kick the ace. But they missed, and Adam was knocked aside and Eve punched in the stomach. 

"Let's not let them fight alone! Come one!" ordered Lars, he and the other five began charging with their bare hands at the ace. 9S was the first to swing, but his inexperience with using his hands for combat got him punched straight back. 2B ran forward and did a cartwheel, then lunged with her hands into a drop kick. Her attack landed, but it was blocked, the ace then grabbed 2B's leg and began to throw her, but Lars came and swept him of his feet. His grip on 2B was released and when he fell to the floor, A2 ran and kicked him in the head.

"Take this!" shouted 9S, he tried to stomp on the ace's head, but he rolled away and got back up. 

"Playing dirty?" asked the enemy, "FINE!" he screamed. Magic pulsed all around him as he flew forward and punched Lars in the chest. Devola tried to punch him , but he dodged instead and kicked her across the face. Popola ran up to knee him, but he merely evaded her attack and punched her in the hip, shattering it. Popola screamed in pain as she fell to the floor, she looked up to almost see him smash her head into the ground, but A2 hit him with arc-blast.

"Popola! You alright?" asked A2.

"Fine, but I can't move my legs..." groaned Popola.

"Don't worry about it, we'll take care of it." said A2. She turned her head to see the ace getting back up and looked back at Popola, "Stay here." she then ran back to begin assisting the others. "9S!".

9S got over to A2 and Popola, "I'll take care of her. Go help the others!" shouted 9S. A2 nodded and ran back to the fight, Adam was knocked back right over A2. She ducked and lunged in the punch the ace, surprisingly her blow actually landed. He was sent back into a wall and when he slammed into it, he yelped. He looked up only to see A2 about to slam her knee into his face. He managed to block her knee and throw her aside. Lars then saw this as his opportunity to strike. Lars ran forward and dodged a couple blows from the enemy, he then stooped down low and punched the ace right in the balls, with his left arm. 

"Oomph!" he went. He held the area where Lars had struck him, he could only stare again as Lars kicked him in the same area again. This time, he fell to the floor cupping his hands over his testicles. 2B ran forward and kicked him in the stomach, but after that, he had to ignore the pain and get back up. From behind, Devola ran in and kicked him in the back, as he was sent forward, Adam jumped in front of him and kicked him back. This time, while half way to Devola, 2B ran in and tackled him to the ground. 2B then proceeded to begin unleash a flurry of punches to his face. He raised his arms to try and block, but it was useless, the moment he bought his arms up, 2B just hit them aside.

"How are you still alive?" asked 2B. She punched him again and he threw her off of him. Now bruised and bloody, he stood back up to look at the six enemies who faced him.

"Damn you all..." he spat. He managed to run past all of them, he was charging straight for 9S and Popola, both who couldn't fight.

"No!" shouted Lars, "Nines!" 

9S looked up and stood up, as the hit connected to his chest, he managed to catch it and keep him in place. "Don't underestimate me..." he grunted, and looked up at the ace, "Just because I'm a scanner!" He thrusted his palm forward and slammed it into the ace's face. The ace was sent back, right into the arms of Eve. As he looked behind him, he saw Eve's little smirk as he punched him across the room. Before he could hit a wall, A2 appeared behind him and threw him into the air. Lars ran forward and onto A2's hands.

"Now!" shouted Lars. A2 launched him into the air, towards the enemy. "Akuma! CHOPPU!" Lars raised his left hand and bought it down on the ace's waist, with such speed, strength, precision, and force, the ace's entire body could not hold up and broke right in half. Lars had just bisected the enemy, with his hand.

His pieces fell to to ground as his blood showered all over the room. As the two pieces of him fell, Lars landed on the ground and much of the blood landed on him. HE was stained a deep crimson and he looked at his coat, "Shit. This'll be a pain to wash out." said he.

*Fade*

"Huh. You all actually managed to beat the ace. Oh well, out of all of them, he was the weakest of the ace's. I promise they'll be more of them, and they're gonna be way stronger! But since you won, I'll give you a prize." an opening revealed itself on the ceiling and a sheathed sword dropped through. It was the blade that Emil gave Lars a while back.

"What in the-? How'd you get this!?" demanded Lars.

"After your fight with Kuro, the team that was sent to retrieve you didn't see this blade. And it was left behind." another door opened, "Next is the final stage. Here is all your gear and abilities back, and I'll even heal your friend. You're going to need all of this. Sorry Adam and Eve, but I'll be keeping your magic." Light shined down onto Popola and she felt her pain going away. 

"I-I'm repaired." she said, standing back up.

Another opening revealed itself and the pods came floating down holding all their weapons and Lars' mask. Light shined down on Lars, Adam, Eve, Devola, Popola, and 9S, and they all tested their abilities out. Adam and Eve could use their energy abilities again. Lars' arm was restored to full functionality again, and Pod-153 bought him his arm blade, which he re-attached, and he could use his magic again. Devola and Popola could use their magic once more and 9S tried sending a pulse of hacking light. After they all re-armed themselves with their weapons, they all walked into the final room.

When they all walked in, a cell came down and the missing entities were all there, Anemone, Emil, and Pascal. "Oh! Everyone!" shouted Emil. 

"You have to hurry, before he comes!" shouted Anemone.

"Please! Free us quickly!" shouted Pascal.

*Real Game (Kamen Rider Ex-Aid)

But before anyone could do anything, another opening in the ceiling opened up. One last figure floated through, he looked to be only a child. He had wild hair and his eyes different colors. His robes were very similar to Dan's, but they were more armored. "That's not happening until you all clear the final stage." He landed and took out his hand held axe. "I'm the one who was talking, I'm the final boss." They all drew their weapons, readied their stances and Lars put on the mask, they got ready to fight, he ran forward, "I'll take all eight of you!" His axe first collided with Lars' sword. 

Lars held his ground, but the boy appeared to be increasing in strength. Lars began to lose ground, but A2 intervened and tried to decapitate him from behind. But the blade stopped a few millimeters from his neck.  _"A field?_ _"_  ,thought A2. The boy looked back her.

"That's not nice." he smiled. He kicked A2 back and swung his axe down on Lars again, this time Lars wasn't successful and was hit right across the chest. "I'm the strongest y'know. But right now, my weapons and your guys' weapons won't slash or bruise, they'll just shave off health." Lars looked at where he was hit and saw no cut. He just looked above as HP gauges filled, he was down to 85 out of 100, and A2 down to 98. "This truly is the best game." he laughed.

2B and 9S both ran forward and began to attack the enemy. But all was in vain, if he wasn't blocking the attacks, then they were just being blocked by his invincibility. He hit them both back and they both lost about 18 HP. "Once you lose all of your health, then you die. Just a warning." Adam and Eve slammed their legs into his back whilst he was talking and sent him flying. As he got back out of the rubble, he looked pretty angry. "That wasn't fair!" he spun axe around and began shooting some kind of energy at Adam and Eve. They all went off course and went behind the two. 

"What-?" asked Adam before he and Eve were hit several times. Both of them losing 23 HP. 

"That should teach you..." said the boy, he turned to see Lars about to hit him with his blade and let him. It did nothing to him and he just hit Lars again with his axe. Now Lars' health was down to 78.

"Damn it..." cursed Lars as he got back up, "This is so  _not_ fair. If this was the ultimate game, then you would turn off your invincibility and fight us fair and square." said Lars. He was attempting to play to his feelings.

"Alright then, I'll do that. But don't expect to win now." His health gauge filled up and it had at 9,999,999,999 health. 

"Crap." said Lars before he was almost hit by the axe, he managed to block just in time. As he was in a power struggle against him again, Devola came and slashed the boy from behind. It only did about two points of damage. He turned and slashed her across the abdomen, doing at least 91 damage. 

"I guess you and your sister are the weakest, huh?" said he. He smiled and began charging for Popola, who managed to block his axe with her sword. But before he could actually hit her, 9S threw his sword at him and forced him to evade. Pod-153 began shooting a singular laser at the boy, and each hit did quite a bit of damage, he was down to 9,999,999,721. "Heh, this could get interesting." he said, he charged forward to 9S and tried to hit him again, this time 9S dodged and 2B ran forward and hit him the larger sword. The boy was sent back into the wall, losing a significant amount of health. 

"9,999,999,582. Huh. You're all doing quite well." He switched his axe to a gun again and fired at 2B and 9S, but this time Lars jumped behind them and made a dark wall to protect them from the shots. Lars then fired several dark-lances at the enemy and he just hit all of them aside. All but one of them which hit him in the chest. "That. HURT!" he screamed. The boy charged forward hitting all of them out of the way. Now, 2B was down to 64, 9S to 31, and Lars to 59. 

"Damn, if this keeps up." said Lars, Adam began firing blasts of energy to the boy as Eve slammed his fist into the ground sending pillars of energy to hit the boy. He merely deflected the shots and dodged the pillars, he jumped and hit Eve. Then he proceeded to hit Adam with the same attack, leaving both of their health gauges at 62. Lars charged up and swung his blade down at the boy, but he managed to parry the attack with his axe.  Every attack Lars tried to do was parried. Lars was knocked to the ground and about to be finished, until A2 intervened and slashed across the boy's back with the Type-4O blade and began clobbering him in the air with the combat bracers she had. Finally, she grabbed her sword mace and smashed him down to the ground.

"9,999,918,000." growled the boy, "That REALLY hurt!" he charged forward and hit A2 really hard with his axe, and it sent A2 flying back, taking down 57 HP. Then he shot A2 several times. She was now down to a mere 12 HP. "I'll kill you first." he growled, "My name is Pallad Murasaki and you'll die by my hands!" Before his axe reached A2, Lars grabbed him with the dark-arm and smashed him into the wall. He got out of the grasp and began charging for Lars again, he was going to be hit at full force, but Popola shoved him out of the way. She lost about 94 of her health and was sent back into a wall, losing an additional 2, she lay on the ground motionless, and Lars could only hope that she was unconcious. "Don't get in the way..." said Pallad. 

Lars got back up and jumped alongside, 2B, Adam, and Eve. They were the only ones who could fight now. As the four of them charged forward, so did Pallad. His axe collided with 2B's sword and he hit her aside, then slashed Adam. Eve tried to use an energy arm but he was just shot several times. They were both down to 8 HP. Now  _they_ couldn't fight anymore. 2B tried to slash at him again, but her blade was knocked right out of her hand and she was slashed two more times, leaving her at a measly 6 HP. It was only Lars who could fight now. He shot a fireball at him and it exploded upon impact with him. The health gauge had taken a ton of damage, it was now at 9,800,000,000. But that had only angered Pallad even more, he screamed as he ran to Lars and cleaved his axe into Lars chest and smashed him into a wall. Leaving him with only a sliver of health in his HP bar. 

_"_ _I'm losing again? No. This can't be happening_ _."_ though Lars. 

"HAH! You all lose!" he laughed, "Now your friends up there will have to watch all of you die! And believe me, I'm going to make it nice and slow."

"No. You're not!" shouted 9S, he was at low-health, yet he still tried to attack Pallad, but he was only hit more and was down to 15 HP. 

"I'm not going to kill you. She is." he pointed to 2B and shot 9S with some kind of energy. Pallad then turned off the system, all attacks have the normal effect now.

"What? No. NO!" screamed 9S, he started charging at 2B, and she actually managed to get up and begin dodging his attacks. "2B! Kill me! Or else I'll kill you! Please!"

"Shut up!" shouted 2B. She began parrying 9S' blade. But she was beginning to lose focus.

"Oh man! This is too good!" cackled Pallad, "Who will live?"

Lars looked onward in horror and forced himself up with some healing magic whilst Pallad monologued. "The promise... I'm sorry Nines." Lars forced himself up and and ran past Pallad.

"What?" asked he.

9S finished hacking 2B's motor systems and she fell to the ground not being able to do anything. "2B!!!" screamed 9S.

2B shut her eyes and waited for the end, but she heard a stabbing sound...

*Fade*

When she opened up her eyes, she saw that blood was dripping on her, and it was 9S' blood. She slowly looked up and saw that 9S had a sword through his chest. The sword that impaled 9S belonged to Lars. And it was him who had stabbed 9S. "Lars... T-thanks... friend..." That last word wasn't even completed as 9S had died. At the hands of Lars. As Lars pulled out the sword, everyone else just looked onward in shock. Adam, Eve, Devola, 2B, A2, Anemone, Pascal, Emil. 9S fell backward and Lars caught him, he remained silent as he closed 9S' eyes, but he broke the silence when he began to weep. He had just killed a person whom he considered one of his closest friends

But Pallad only began to laugh, "So  _you_ were the one who killed him? Nice! That's even better!" he laughed, "How does it feel? AHAHAHAHAH!" Lars did not say a word. He just stayed there and wept. "Say something! This is too good!"

"Lars..." said 2B. "Y-you... kept our promise?" Lars looked up at 2B and nodded, "Thank you...".

"Lars..." said A2, "You bastard!" she screamed at Pallad. He looked back at her, "Forcing him to kill his own friend? You damn sicko!!"

Pallad started walking toward A2, "Oh, I'm not done yet. See, I know about your little relationship with Lars, so he's gonna kill you too..." he chuckled. A2 tried to scramble away, but he just pointed the gun at her.

"No..." Pallad looked behind him, Lars had stood up. His eyes stared holes into Pallad, "No more."

"I'm sorry? It seems that you're trying to tell me what to do." responded Pallad.

"You're not going to make me hurt anymore of my friends, I won't let you..."

"Oh yeah? What makes  _you_ so sure? All of you guys couldn't beat me. What makes you think that you can do it all by yourself?"

Lars took out a locket, opened it, and then crushed the gem that was inside.

*Supernova (Kamen Rider Kiva)*

A burst of orange light filled the entire room. It was an explosion of fire and every element that Lars had held. Lightning, darkness, fire, and the essence of the universe itself. "You exploded?! Hah! Hilarious!" laughed Pallad, but he stopped when he saw that Lars was still alive. "Oh? This should be fun!" he reactivated the system and saw that Lars had 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 HP, and was glowing the same color that just exploded. "What? As if changing colors would help you!" 

Pallad charged forward, Lars' entire body lit up on fire as he charged forward and met Pallad head on with his sword. They were once again in a power struggle, but this time Lars broke their stance with his heavy sword and slashed Pallad across the chest, doing 100,000 damage. "What!" exclaimed Pallad. Lars then slashed him again with the other sword. Pallad fell backward as Lars began advancing, the flames had all focused into Lars' arm and he fired not seven but countless shots of fire. Pallad switched to his gun and began firing all the shots needed to counter. But there were too many for him, Lars' shots of fire all went in different directions and hit him from all sides, making Pallad lose 1,000,000,000 Health. 

"8,999,899,273?" Pallad looked up to see that Lars had disappeared. "Where are you!?" he screamed. Flashes of lightning could be seen around as they began slashing away at him. It was Lars, but he couldn't be seen, it was as if he was everywhere, but nowhere at the same time. Lars then appeared swiftly to punch Pallad as hard as he could in the chest, the lightning surged all around him and stunned Pallad. Lars then slashed Pallad with the sonic blade, forcing him to his knees. "Now I'm down 6,618,293,172? That's not possible!" Pallad turned around to see that Lars was behind him and slashed him with the axe as hard as he could.

Before, that attack would have taken down a ton of health, but right now it only did one damage. The lightning surged all around Lars and he began to beat Pallad senseless. Pallad in return activated  _his_ magic and flames surrounded his fists to counter Lars' blows. But Lars had only countered Pallad's attacks and began striking him even more. "This doesn't make any sense!" screamed Pallad, "I'm supposed to be the strongest!" he was picked up by Lars and slammed into the ground, shattering it. His axe flew back into his hand as Lars drew his sword again. Lars was the first to jump forward this time, he engulfed himself in flames and cut Pallad right across the chest. 

Pallad was down to 4,821,632,610 now and the number just kept decreasing with each and every passing hit. Lars appeared on front of him momentarily only to disappear without a trace, then several portals opened up all around him and Lars jumped through one of them, and slashed Pallad. He went into another portal and came out another to slash him again, and again, and again, this would continue for quite some time. Pallad looked around and managed to counter one of Lars' strikes. He then grabbed Lars and flung him into the ceiling, switching his axe to gun mode, he fired several shots to where he had thrown Lars. When the smoke cleared, Lars could be seen with the force-field up and his smash cannon charging.

"Shooting in a place like this? You stupid?" asked Pallad. Lars did not say a word, he just fired a thinner, more concentrated shot. But it was still enough to cover Pallad, he looked at his health and now it was down to 2,123,721,921, it angered him quite a bit. "Take this!" screamed Pallad, he fired a giant missile and a direct hit was made. "That's bound to do some damage..." chuckled Pallad.

Out of the smoke, Emil's sword was flung and hit Pallad square in the head. His health was taken down all the way to 2,001,728,121. Followed by the blade was a shadow duplicate of Lars charging in to impale Pallad. But all he did was dodge, but before he could react, Lars came in front of him, kneed him in the stomach and grabbed hold of his neck. The lightning surged through Lars' hand and he successfully crushed Pallad's neck. Now his health was all the way down to 1,003,682,710. Pallad tried to say something, but all that came out was a pained gurgle. Lars lunged toward him and cut him in the knees, then the elbows, then the neck, completely disabling him. Sending him down to 929,761. 

*Transition*

A2, and the others who were awake looked onward. They were all amazed at how strong Lars was, he was trashing  a very powerful enemy all by himself. "Go get 'em, Lars." whispered A2.

*Transition* 

Pallad was thrown into the air, whilst he was in the air, Lars spun on the ground up to him and upper-cutted him. A2 managed to gather enough strength to stand, "Use this!" she shouted. A2 then flung her sword-mace to Lars. When Lars caught it, he flew over Pallad to smash him right down to the ground. Pallad began getting up when Lars landed next to him.  Pallad quickly got back up and tried to shoot Lars several times, but Lars did not let the shots hit him, he slapped them aside with his hand and proceeded to beat him senseless, sending his health down to 501,002.

"All for making you kill your friend? Who can be revived?" asked he.

Lars said in nothing response. He kneed Pallad, hit him down with his left arm, then uppercutted with his right, then sent him flying with his left again. sending him down to 100,612

"That does it!" screamed Pallad as he got back up. He turned on his invincibility once again. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU ASS-!" he couldn't finish because Lars had just cut him across the abdomen. Pallad fell backward, and looked up to see Lars. Some kind blades had formed on his ankles, Lars jumped up and slashed Pallad with his legs, and repeated to do so until he actually  _shattered_ his invincibility. "No way..." Lars jumped up and drop kicked Pallad. But, Lars kept going forward, keeping Pallad at his feet, the fangs grew longer and began striking Pallad in the back several times, his health kept going down. Eventually, Lars did a kick-flip off of Pallad, sending the boy to the wall and jumped a few inches back. Lars spun back, then hit him with an outward swing of his left hand, then with his right outward and his left inward, an arc-blast, then finally he raised his hand in the air. Lightning surged all around him and he hit Pallad with his palm with all of his strength, sending him straight through the wall.

"Guh!" grunted Pallad, he looked at his health bar, "A measly... fifteen?" he asked weakly. He looked up to see Lars. He just stood there, Pallad attempted to replenish his health but nothing happened, he tried turning his invincibility on, but nothing happened again. "W-what? Why can't I-?" He looked up at Lars, whom was right in front of him now. Pallad fell backward as he looked at the masked person. The glowing eyes pierced through his soul. "St-stay back!" he whimpered. Just then, the system shut off, leaving him even more vulnerable.

*Fade*

Lars removed his mask and stared at him. "It's over..." Lars pointed his sword at him and prepared to kill him. "You'll pay for what you made me do..." he thrusted his sword forward, but another blade blocked his. Lars looked onward to see that it was Sral. "We meet again..." said Lars, "Ready for round two?" He readied his blade.

"No, not yet. It's almost been four hours, and once that time is up, your troops will fire upon this structure. I know you want to get your friends out. So I'll bargain, how about it, Lars?" responded Sral.

"What do you want then?"

"I'll give you a chance to get your friends out. So long as you give me a chance to get Pallad out, he  _is_ my strongest. How about it?"

Lars said nothing, he turned back and rejoined his comrades. He flew up and freed the other three. Then, he turned back to look at Sral and pointed his blade at him. "I'll kill you, next time. I swear it."

"Until next time then. Farewell." Sral opened a portal and walked out of the structure. Lars did the same and got everyone out. 

The YoRHa soldiers were all shocked when they saw the condition that everyone was in when they all walked out. Adam and Eve needed immediate repairs, so did Devola and Popola, A2, 2B. But 9S, was dead. Anemone looked at her troops, who immediately surrounded her, making sure she was alright. "Everyone is hurt! Get them back to the camp and start helping them!" the resistance troops all responded with a "Yes ma'am!" and began helping everyone.

"Captain..." Lars said weakly, "Escort everyone to the camp... And I mean... everyone. Adam, Eve, the machine, this head included..." he handed Emil over to 91G. 

"Alert: Vital signs of YoRHa Commander, 0C growing unstable. Proposal: Take the Commander back to Resistance to stabilize. Hypothesis: He has gone beyond the limits of any human." said his mask. Mostly everyone looked back to Lars, who was not following them.

Lars just stood there, as if he couldn't move. Then fell over

The last thing he could hear was the soldiers rushing to his aid before he completely blacked out...

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized that 0C is kinda a nod to OC (Original Character)  
> And The Commander's tablet is (you guessed it) white.  
> You'll notice that these games are rather short, I did that on purpose.  
> Again, I own none of the music I use.


	24. Illness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lars and everyone else must rest now. Especially after a such a tough battle. But, a soldier never rests for too long. But one question remains, what was that Supernova locket's effect on him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jesus Christ that last one took forever, hope ya'll enjoyed it! 'Cause I sure enjoyed writing it, and doing my best to sync the music.  
> Still trying to be better, it seems I rush far too often.  
> 

He opened up his eyes. He remembered attacking the one he cared for the most, he was going to kill 2B. Images flashed through his mind, then a sword came through his chest. A searing pain he would never forget. He put on his visor and quickly got up from his bed. "Data upload completed. Welcome back, 9S" said Pod-153.

"Pod..." muttered 9S, "What happened?" 

"YoRHa unit 9S was slain by YoRHa Commander Lars to prevent the killing of unit 2B. These events happened two days ago."

"Wait, two days? How long does a data upload take?"

"The recovery of all memories take quite a while. Caim's network is rather hard to work with. An instant upload will come with the cost of memories. However, to upload a unit with all memories is possible, it only takes time."

"That's all?" asked 9S, "Where are they all now?" he asked suddenly.

" All seven other comrades are still on the Earth." responded Pod-153.

"I gotta get a move on then!" shouted 9S as he began rushing out of his room. As he got out, he bumped into the Commander. "C-commander! Sorry I-"

"Save it." she said, "I know what you're thinking. You have to get back down to Earth. And you will, but first, these are for Lars." she handed him some small chips. 

"Plug-in chips? Why would he need them?" asked 9S.

"They're for his mask. They should reduce the amount of strain put on him and decrease the risk of him going berserk should he use it to it's full potential, now get moving." said the Commander, she walked past him. 9S quickly stored the chips and ran to a transporter. 

*Nier Automata: Peaceful sleep* 

When he got down to the Resistance camp, there was the normal atmosphere. It seemed as if  _everyone_ was quite calm, even after everything that had happened. 9S saw, 2B, Adam, Eve, Devola, and Popola. "2B!" he called. They all looked at him as he re-joined them.

"9S, you're alright."

"Yup, with  _all_ my memories, Caim's network is pretty amazing. Where is Lars and A2? What about everyone else? Was the mission even a success?" asked he.

"The mission was a success, we rescued everyone. Thanks to Lars." said Popola.

"Right now, he's in his room, A2 is staying with him right now." said Eve. "Well, should we go now?"

"Yes, we should. I feel as if we  _overstayed_ our welcome here." said Adam, "Well, tell Lars that we said goodbye."

"Maybe you should stay a bit longer." said Popola, "I'm sure he'd appreciate it."

"As much as we would love to, we can't. There are other things we must investigate. We thank you for repairing us and letting us stay these past two days, though. You and your sister." 

"Alright then. Later." said Devola. Adam and Eve teleported out of the camp. "I've got an idea, let's all go see him and A2. How about it, 9S?" asked she.

"That sounds good. Let's go." responded 9S, the four of them all entered the building that housed Lars' room. They walked up the stairs and made it to his room.

"First, take off your shoes, Lars doesn't think it's sanitary." They saw a rack for shoes, Lars' boots and A2's boots were already there. The four took off their shoes and entered the room.

Once they all walked inside, Lars came into sight. He was asleep, and A2 sat in a chair, she was also asleep. She was hunched over and her arms and head rested on the bed. "Lars? A2?" asked 9S quietly.

Lars' eyes twitched a bit, and they opened slowly. As he tilted his head to look at all of them, a weak smile formed on his face. "Nines..." he said weakly, "What's up?"

"You're alright." smiled 9S, "Thank you, Lars."

"For what?" 

"For not letting me kill 2B. I would've never forgiven myself for it..."

"Don't kick yourself too much, it was no easy task for me."

"Yeah, but... I'm glad you did it."

"Heh, you're welcome..." Lars responded, with a warm smile.

"So, how are you feeling?" asked Popola.

"I'm just tired, but I can move." Lars got up and lifted the covers off of him. His left arm was not present. The long sleeve shirt he had on had it's left arm swinging around.

"Your arm..." said 9S.

"It's right there, I just don't need it right now. Can't find Emil's sword again though." said Lars, he also pointed to a shelf, where his arm was resting on. After he pointed at it, he began violently coughing. This in turn woke A2 up. She sat up and looked at Lars.

"Your cough is coming back. You need more rest." she said very worriedly. 

"Not when they're all here, I'll be fine." he slowly got up with the help of A2 and stood up straight. 

"So, what happened?" asked 9S.

"Well, I used one of these things." he pulled out a Supernova locket.

"You used one? Really? What was it like?"

"It was  _awesome_ , I could engulf myself in flames and like, be strong and everything and. God! That's all I can say." he coughed a bit again, "Downside is; I'm sick, and I'm severely weakened. 19H took a look at me and I said should be back in full health in two more days."

"Oh, well... You holdin' up?" asked he.

"Yeah, I am. In fact, I feel as if I can actually leave this room now."

"You sure?" asked Popola, "Don't force yourself."

"My dad always told me that if I'm sick, sitting around isn't going to help. So I have to at least walk around." He slipped walked over to the door, connected his arm, slipped his shoes on and began walking out. Everyone else followed, when Lars walked out of his room, he covered his face from the sun. "How bright." he walked over to Anemone. "I'm going out for a bit." 

"You sure? In your current condition you-" 

"I'll be fine, Anemone. Don't underestimate me just because I'm human. Plus, I'm pretty recovered and 2B, 9S, and A2 are coming."

"Alright then, and the twins?" asked Anemone. 

"We have to stay here." said Popola, "Got some things you need us to do, remember?"

"Yeah, alright. Stay safe, Lars." said Anemone. "Don't go fighting. I mean it, if I' find out that you fought, you're grounded."

"Yeah yeah. I got it." Lars began walking out of the Resistance. And the other three followed him. "Grounding me? A commander? And who is she? My mom?" asked Lars.

"She  _was_ doing a lot of reading on parenting for some reason. I think Operator 21O also was asking me to do some research about families a while ago, before I met you." said 9S.

"Huh, I wonder why?" Lars turned back to look at the other three, "You guys wanna go anywhere?" asked he.

"How about Pascal's village, we should check on how he's doing." said A2.

"Yeah, sure." said Lars, "Let's go, then." he and the others began walking over to Pascal's village. He looked around, it was the first time that he was walking around the ruined city for recreational time basically, no mission, no assignment, he was just walking with his comrades. Lars couldn't help but be at a perfect state of mind right now. They arrived at a gap in between the lands, normally he could make the jump, but not as he is right now.

"Up you go." said A2, she cradled him in her arms and jumped over. And she put Lars back on his feet. 

"Thanks, we almost there?" asked he.

"Beyond that gate." said 2B, she pointed to a mass of metal forming a quite crude, but effective wall. There was a giant metal block that blocked them, 2B moved it easily, though. As they walked through it, Lars saw a mass of trees and a path way, he'd never actually  _been_ into the village, he wondered what it was like. As they walked, Lars saw that there were several bridges, and beyond that, there was the village. It was a giant tree, with several houses built onto it. And a slide...

"Wow..." stated Lars, there were several machines, they all talked and were all acting as if they were families, almost as if they were... human. "All these machines don't want to fight?"

"Yes, that is correct." Lars looked behind him and jumped a little at the sight of Pascal, who just popped out of nowhere right behind him. "Oh! I'm sorry, did I scare you?"

"Yeah, kinda." said Lars.

"My apologies," Laughed he, "I am Pascal, thank you for rescuing me a while back. I'm truly grateful for it, um... Lars? Correct?"

"Yup, and you're welcome."

"Anyway, yes, this is my village. All of the machines here have disconnected themselves from the network and wish to live in peace. You may take a look around if you want. I must get going, but I enjoyed our little talk. Good bye for now!" he flew off. Lars followed 2B, 9S, and A2 around, this place really  _was_ a village. It had a weapons trader, a shop for maintenance, and a whole lot more. 2B and 9S eventually had to leave for  an errand, leaving A2 and Lars in the village. Whilst they walked past the weapons trader again, he stopped them.

"Thank you for rescuing our leader. He and I have worked on this for these past two days." the ball-like machine next to him came up to Lars, they gave him back Emil's sword. But it looked different. It was more reminiscent of a machete now, it was straight and was a bit longer. And the scabbard had also been modified, and it was lighter, making it easier to swing. "We made some modifications that we'd think be'd useful, if it's not, we can just return it back to it's old state."

"No, this is just fine. In fact, I think you guys made it better. Thank you. This really helps." responded Lars.

Suddenly at least six small machines ran up to A2 and Lars. "Big Sis! Big Sis! Play with us! Please!" one shouted excitedly.

"Play with us!" the others shouted.

"Oh God. This again?" asked A2. "I already built the damn thing yesterday. Isn't that enough?" Lars could tell she was  _pretty_ damn annoyed.

"Come on, A2." he said weakly, "They're just kids."

"Fine, then  _you're_ playing with them, too." 

"Wait, what?"

"Yay! Big Brother is going to play with us, too!" they all cheered.

"Huh?" asked Lars before he was dragged along.

 All the machines took turns going down the slide. As Lars went down the slide, a memory was triggered in his mind.

 _"Go on. Come on, you're not scared are you?_ _"_ asked a female, Lars was about eight years old.

 _"Zero! Stop calling me a wimp!"_ shouted Lars back at Zero, his step-sister.

 _"Then go."_ said Zero.

Lars slid down the gigantic slide. Before the memory could carry on, he was bumped by a child machine who had just slid down the slid and accidentally hit him. "Oof!" went Lars, he looked at the machine, "Sorry. I was, thinking..."

"About what?" asked the machine.

"Nothing... Go back up will you?"

"Yay!" shouted the machine as he started making his way back up. As he did, A2 slid down and walked over to Lars.

"What're you thinking about?" asked she.

"About a time I had with my step-sister."

"Step-sister? What's that?"

"Oh, she's adopted. My parents adopted her because she... I don't remember that part. All I know is that The Dude told me that she's my step-sister."

"Adoption, huh? Anyway, it's already night. Let's head back, don't forget your sword."

Lars and A2 began to take their leave. He turned back and said goodbye to the children. A2 did as well, when they left, Lars felt that something was... off. He fell on his knees and coughed out some kind of glowing orange liquid. He wasn't vomiting, in fact this liquid burned his throat, and the ground. He looked at it, "Lava?!" he asked. Lars began coughing out more of it.

"What in the-?" A2 quickly picked up Lars and began running towards the Resistance base. The machines wouldn't know how to help him, and she had no way of contacting anyone. "Hold on, Lars." The liquid kept spilling out of his mouth. Some of it even landed on her, and it scorched her. This burning was far beyond anything she ever felt before. It felt like her skin was going to melt off. She looked up and saw the little alleyway 

"A2..." said Lars.

"Don't talk! We're almost to the Resist-" she was punched by a tall machine. A2 flew backward into the water and dropped Lars. As she got back up, she saw that the machines were heading towards Lars. "Oh no you don't!"she shouted. She quickly drew her sword-mace and smashed a machine's head right in, then with one swing, destroyed the other machines. But only more appeared. "What the? There's more?" she looked back at Lars and then blocked a machine sword, "I don't have time for this!"

Then, bullets hit several of the machines. A2 looked back to see Resistance soldiers and 2B shooting at them. "A2! Grab Lars and come back!" shouted 2B.

A2 nodded and picked Lars up again, as the rest of the machines were destroyed she rushed inside the base. 19H, Devola, and Popola saw the state that Lars was in and quickly took him to the med-bay to stabilize him. 

"What's going on?" asked 9S.

"I don't know, he just started coughing out this burning liquid." responded A2. "It burns..."

"Pod." said 9S.

Pod-153 began applying some coolant and staunching on A2's burn. "Analysis: This liquid is very similar to the flames that YoRHa Commander 0C engulfed himself in when he was battling the being known as Pallad."

"Similar?" asked A2. "How?"

"Unknown."

"Well, we just have to hope for the best." said 9S.

"9S!" shouted 19H, "Contact the rest of my team, they'll be needed here."

"Understood." 9S quickly contacted 81H and the others. 2B came back inside to see what's going on.

The night would go on to be a very busy one.

 

*Hours later*

 

The birds chirped and sang outside, it was morning. Lars' eyes opened. He was in his own bed again. He looked at his body, there were four more scars now. 19H came into his room just then and sat on his bed. "How do you feel?"

"I feel, awake, refreshed, hell I feel like I made a full recovery." responded Lars.

"That's because you  _did_ make a full recovery. We managed to extract all of the liquid that was in your body. And to do that-"

"You cut me open didn't you?"

"Yes... yeas we did. Turns out that liquid that was coming out wasn't lava. It was your blood, and judging from a report, you engulfed you body in flames. And your blood was very similar to those flames, somehow."

"So, all my blood is liquid fire now?"

"No. You would be dead, it was more less... left-over toxins in your body. Tainted blood that needed to be removed." she got up from his bed. "Anyway, since you're recovered, your new mission has started, go meet up with your team. You guys are going to the Galapagos. You'll receive a full briefing there."

"The Galapagos? I'm surprised they still exist in this world." said Lars.

"They do. Now I must get going. Good luck." 19H left his room.

Lars decided to go wash himself first. Whilst he was showering, Popola came in to deliver food. "How are you doing?" asked she.

"I'm fine. Made a full recovery " Lars said through the water.

"That's good to hear. Anyway, here's your food. Good luck on the mission." she said, she was about to walk out the door, but she stopped. "Lars?"

"Yeah?"

"What does Adam like?"

"Huh? Why would you ask me that?"

"Noting, I just... I just wanted to get him something for helping us out these past days."

"Books I guess. Especially ones with philosophy."

"Alright, thanks."

Popola left his room.  _"That was_ _weird."_ thought Lars. He thought nothing else about it and ate, it felt goof to have a warm meal again. After that, he equipped himself with everything once again.

"Time to head out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yeah, now Emil's sword looks like the admiral's sword from Tekken 7, in other words Tougou's sword from Tekken 6.


	25. Galapagos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mission is simple, go to the Galapagos islands and retrieve assets that will increase YoRHa's strength.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've finished school. Summer time.  
> Also, sorry I'm a bit late, I've been sick for a while now.  
> I include unnecessary details.

Lars walked outside and looked around. A quick beep came from his terminal, when he unlocked it, he saw that it was the mission briefing. "The mission is in the set of islands known as the 'Galapagos'. We've gotten word from our scouts there that they've been making armored assault ships in a factory-city, so far two have already been completed. The other two must not be completed. They will help YoRHa and the Resistance, take them. Get to there by a resistance stealth ship in the flooded city, don't use your portal, they'll detect your presence. Rendezvous with the Resistance leader there. Good luck. -White" it said.

"Armored assault ships, huh?" stated Lars. "Alright."

2B, 9S, and A2 all walked to him. "What's the mission?" asked 9S.

"We go to the Galapagos, and take the ships. Pretty simple. But, I expect that there's going to be a lot of fighting involved."

"Won't be a problem. We can fight." said A2, "How're we going?"

"A Resistance stealth ship." 

"They've got those?" asked 9S, "That's really cool."

"Let's go then." said Lars.

Lars waved goodbye to Devola and Popola, who waved back. And with that, the four took off to the flooded city.

 

*Moments Later*

 

"So how long will this take exactly?" asked 9S, they all looked at a very sleek but massive ship. It was long, and quite wide. 

"About an hour, this little beauty is the fastest ship the Resistance has. It's rail gun cannons are pretty damn strong, too. Plus two-hundred, long-range, armor shattering missiles. Crewed by both YoRHa _and_ Resistance androids." she said, "Whaddya think?"

"It's, impressive." remarked 9S.

"Don't call her an 'it'! She has a name and it's La Belle Femme!"

"French for 'The Beautiful Woman'? Not bad. Not bad at all." remarked Lars.

"Someone here get's it."

"Just get us there." said 2B impatiently. 

"Yeah, yeah. Hop on aboard. We'll be glad to have you."

As the ship began to depart from the dock, Lars sat inside of the deck and looked out the window. He remembered the events of last night, and the fight that happened a few days ago. He pulled out the other Super-nova locket, and stared at it. "I mustn't use it. Not now, not ever I hope." he whispered to himself. Two hands encased his, Lars looked up to see that it was A2.

"You won't have to. We'll find a way to beat them, I promise." she said, re-assuring Lars. Especially with a little smile. 

"Thanks." Lars put the locket away. "A2?"

"What is it?" asked she.

"If we get back to my world. Can we live together?"

"I'd like nothing more. and I think you mean 'when' we get back to your world. Nothing's going to stop us, don't you forget that." A2 stroked Lars' hair, much to his surprise, then she went up onto the main deck. Lars just sat back and looked out the window once more.  _"Almost there..._ _"_ Lars made himself as comfortable as he could and decided that sleeping would be the best course of action for know. And so he did...

 

"Time to wake up." said a voice. Lars opened up his eyes and saw that it was A2, "Sleep well?"

"Yeah, for a bit. We there?" responded Lars.

"Yup, we need to meet up with the Resistance leader in this sector." Lars and A2 walked out the ship onto a rocky beach. The base was mostly covered in tarps, there were several tank-like machines under some of them and some flight units. Both YoRHa and resistance soldiers walked around, all moving supplies and ammunition. Lars saw one who stood out from the others. That one particular android walked up to the four of them.

"Name's Storm." he had a very husky voice and a southern accent, "Which one of you is in charge?" 

"I am." said Lars. He pointed to his Commander's seal.

"A kid, huh? Not questioning anythin'. Say, give me your right arm would you?"

Lars looked confused and stuck out his arm, Storm held his wrist and gave a strange smile, "So you really  _are_ human. One last thing, scan 'em." a soldier came up with a scanner and flashed a light on the other three.

"What's with that?" asked 9S.

"Sorry, those damn human imitations have been poking around our camp lately. We managed to sniff 'em out 'fore they can cause too much damage. Standard protocol, all that crap. Anyway, I assume you know what our mission is?"

"Yeah, one question."

"Shoot."

"The enemy already know's you're all here?"

"Yeah, but they don't know you four are here. You guys are gonna to be our trump card. That alright well with you four?" asked Storm.

"Yeah, so when do we move out?"

"In about half an hour, we have to abandon this camp. They'll attack soon enough when their scout don't return. Don't worry, our assault-vehicles have variants for carryin' loads." he turned around "Alright boys and girls, we move out in half an hour. Move all the ammo and supplies we've got onto out carriers and get the assault types ready! Double time, people! We ain't got all day!"

"You think you guys can help out? Got a lotta of ammo that needs movin'."

"We can help." said Lars, "2B, 9S, go help move ammunition onto those carriers. A2, you and I are going to do the supplies." 

"Got it." said 2B. She and 9S began to move crates along with the other androids. A2 and Lars did the same, a few of the androids he actually recognized, 27D, 91G, 18G. They were here to fight as well.

A half hour later, all vehicles were started. "Time to move out. It'll take at least a day to get there. We'll set up a small camp at night for you, sir. I know sleep is important for humans." said Storm.

"Thanks, Storm. I appreciate it." responded Lars.

They had to go through the jungle. So much vegetation to get through, the assault vehicles made it easy to get through, but the heat was also intense. Lars walked and walked, and looked round, the journey seemed to be infinite. He wasn't paying attention when he accidentally hit a tortoise. It looked at him with an angry look and tried to snap at him. "Sorry, geez." cursed Lars.

They kept walking, until Storm halted everyone. "Rustlin', tight formation, YoRHa gunners and resistance rifleman upfront. Assault-vehicles, be ready to fire cryo-shells. They all gathered in a circle, Resistance troops and YoRHa gunners pointed their guns at the dense trees. Suddenly, several Jinzo rifleman jumped out of the bushes. They were all shot dead by the androids. A loud bang could be heard and a vehicle was shot on the side, everyone looked and saw some tower. "Sniper tower! Number six! Take it down." An assault-vehicle aimed it's cannon at the tower, then fired.

The tower came crashing down, taking the sniper with it. "Good work, people. Let's keep movin'." said Storm.

"He sure is effective." stated 9S.

"Yeah. That was awesome." Lars walked pass the downed tower, the sniper was still a bit alive. The sniper reached his hand into the air, he was begging Lars to help him. Lars nodded and swiftly shot him in the head to put him out of his misery. Everyone looked behind and then forward again. A2 walked to Lars and knelt next to him.

"Was that hard?"

"No, with every kill I make, I harden myself. I have to get  _used_ to it. Plus, it was a mercy kill, he was in pain..." stated Lars.

"Alright then, just don't go on any rampages in the future."

"Who do you think you're talking to?" laughed Lars, "C'mon, let's go catch up."

Before he knew it, night had reached them. Storm's men set up a camp and the vehicles gathered into a circle, Storm bought Lars into the center and set up a table with a map. "Alright, so tomorrow we'll make it to that factory city . The YoRHa flight units went ahead with cloaking, and they'll start a bombardment. While they do that, you take some of your troops and some of mine and a few of the assault-vehicles with twin cannons. Once we give a signal to you, go and blow yourself a hole in the factory and take it over. The rest of my men, myself included, will be the decoys, we'll force their troops to come to us near the out-skirts. We won't have a whole lotta time, so make sure you guys don't take your time."

"Alright, with the rest of your forces, how long do you think you all can hold out?" asked 2B.

"I'd say about an entire day and six hours." replied Storm.

"Seems like a lot of time to me." remarked Lars.

"No, no, Commander. It'll be goin' by real quick, we'll be burning through that ammo like crazy. So we're countin' on you."

"So that's how it's gonna be, huh? Hold on, Storm, how many assault-vehicles are there?"

"Thirty twin-cannon, sixteen automatic-cannon, twenty missile-carriers, twenty hybrid types, got both twin-cannons and missile launchers, and about thirty carrier types. Plus, the ship at the beach can shoot pretty far, just need the right co-ordinates."

"Flight units?"

"Only twelve of them."

"How much ammo?"

 "Got enough fire power to last us for days, if we use it carefully, which we ain't.

"Man power?"

"Over two-hundred troops, YoRHa androids included."

"I can work with that, I'll take about thirty troops into the factory, and about," Lars looked at all the vehicles, "Does three twin-cannons sound good?"

"Yeah, alright. This is it, sir. Let's get those ships."

"Yeah, 9S." called Lars.

'What is it?" asked he.

"I need you to command the ground, naval, and air forces alongside storm. You're the only one who knows the co-ordinates where to strike."

"No, 9S should come with us, he's essen-" 2B was cut off by 9S just then.

"It's alright 2B. I'll be fine out there. Besides, judging from the look on Storm's face, he doesn't seem to mind."

"A-alright, 9S. If that's what you want." said 2B reluctantly.

"It's all settled then. Welcome aboard, Deputy Captain." Storm stuck out his hand out. 9S looked at his hand momentarily, then extended his arm to shake it. "Also, I'm givin' you this." he held out a headset, "This little beauty is directly connected to the ship's communications, ya just need the right co-ordinates to unleash hell."

"Thanks, and good to be part of it, sir." said 9S.

"Good, now you should get some rest, sir. I'll tell everyone else the plan, hopefully no one goes AWOL. That tent should have a little in there. See ya in the mornin'."

"Thanks."

"Anytime." with that Storm walked off.

"I'm gonna go get some rest." stated Lars. He yawned and entered the tent. The

There was a small cot near a corner and he sat on it.  _"I hope not too many die tomorrow."_ an image of the man he killed earlier flashed into his mind. He shook his head and took a bite out of a nutrition brick, then proceeded to take a swig of water.  _"Shouldn't have tried to kill us."_ thought Lars. With that final thought, he laid down and closed his eyes.

"Tomorrow..." was the last thing he heard outside before he fell asleep.

 

"Lars?" 

He opened up his eyes to see 2B. "Morning, 2B. Where're the others?" 

"Awaiting you, eat up. Then, we go."

Lars ate again and drank some water. This was it, this was the day that the attack would start. IF the YoRHa androids died, then they could just reload themselves to the Bunker. But it's a different case for the Resistance troops, once they died, it was over. No, no, no, he shouldn't be thinking about that. He took a deep breath, "Gotta think positive." said he.

Lars exited the tent and saw everyone else, armed and ready to fight. "City's about half hour away." said an android. "Are you ready, sir?"

"Yes, I am. Before that, 91G, I'm putting you in charge of YoRHa gunners alongside Storm and 9S. You got it?" commanded Lars.

"Yes, sir." responded she.

 "I need thirty volunteers to join me inside the factory as well. I have 2B and A2 already. Who else?"

Many B class and D class androids raised their hands. Lars picked the other twenty-eight and said one final thing, "Don't die without killing a few Jinzo first. Any of you disobey that, I'll resurrect you and kill you all over again. Kill as many of those bastards as you can!" 

The android forces cheered, and began following Lars. "Which way?"

"East, you lead, sir." said an android.

Lars began leading his troops until they reached a giant city, and in the rear, was a massive factory. Smoke emitted from the enormous stacks, black, unsightly, smoke. "All forces get ready to attack." he put his mask on.

"Awaiting orders." said the captain over the comms.

"Begin bombardment." said Lars quietly.

*Strength Focus (Gundam IBO)*

Missiles could be heard firing everywhere. From the sky, the flight units rained down missile after missile, destroying a large amount of buildings. Anti-air fire began being fired from the decimated ground, the Jinzo were fighting back.

"All main forces! BEGIN ATTACK!" yelled Storm, he sat on top of a twin-cannon and it rolled out, 9S putting on the headset and doing the same. The android forces all yelled as they started moving forward. Lars zoomed in on his mask and saw that machine life-forms were beginning to be sent out. Gunfire began to take over all the sound.

"So, the Jinzo have managed to take control of the machines. Wait a bit more, we need Storm to grab their full attention." he said to the other thirty-three. 

*Transition* 

Bullets zipped narrowly past 9S. "Hey! Shoot at that building!" he yelled at a driver.

"Gotcha!" responded the driver. The automatic guns unloaded on the the building. Much of the structure collapsed and crushed Jinzo underneath it. "Go! Go! Go!" he shouted. Soldiers from behind the vehicle ran forward and began firing and slashing at machines and Jinzo. "27D! Take a team and destroy that artillery!" shouted 9S.

"You got it, boss!" responded she. 27D ran off with the androids with her and began tearing apart the Jinzo cannons. Storm rolled up and looked at 9S.

"Order the ship to fire on that tall building!" he pointed at a building sending out machines. "That'll cut off some of the machine supply!"

9S nodded and pressed the headset, "La Belle Femme to user! We're ready over here, awaiting co-ordinates!" 

"Sending them over." said 9S, "Pod!"

"Affirmative." 

"We got the co-ordinates, hold on to your hats, it's gonna be LOUD!" A large boom could be heard from behind them and a giant projectile came forward and blew a hole right in the building deploying machines, making it fall over. Once the dust cleared, another vehicle came up, 18G popped out from the top.

"We've drawn most of the enemy out here, the Commander can move now." said 18G.

"Alright, I'll contact 2B! You just regroup with the rest of your team and help the right flank with Storm!"

"Understood, deputy-captain!" she went back in and closed the hatch. As the vehicle drove off, 9S connected his headset to Pod-042.

"2B! We've drawn most of the enemy troops out here-"

*Transition*

"-in the outskirts, you guys are all clear to get to the factory! We're done being on the offensive, we're going to start holding out now! 9S out!"

"Appreciated. Lars! We're clear!"

"Alright! LET'S GO PEOPLE!" yelled Lars. They all ran past the fighting and to the side of the factory. "Fire on that wall!" One of the assault-vehicles fired two shots, blowing a giant hole in the wall. Dead Jinzo littered the rubble, showing that guards were still here. "Assault-vehicles first, single formation."

The vehicles all lined up and began moving into the factory, the androids and Lars behind them. A door opened up and machines came out. They started shooting at the vehicles, but were easily dispatched by the androids.

*Fade*

"Move carefully." Lars drew his sword, another door opened up and more machines came out. "YoRHa troops, forward!" twelve of the thirty androids ran forward and began cutting up the machines. Lars bisected one and kicked the upper half into other machines, then proceeded to annihilate them with the smash-cannon. 

"We can expect Jinzo soon! Any idea where do we go?" asked A2.

"We have to take out who's in charge of this place, once that's done, we're finished. This factory is huge though..." said Lars, "We just have to keep moving for now." 

Just then, Jinzo forces came through a second door. "For the king!" they shouted. The Jinzo troops started shooting and they got to cover.

"We're pinned down!" shouted a Resistance soldier, he tried to shoot back but had to get back behind the wall.

"Assault-vehicles! Potshots! You don't have to hit 'em, just shoot!" shouted Lars. One of the vehicles shot three shots in front of the Jinzo, making them recoil. "Now!" The B class androids lunged forward and stabbed the Jinzo troops to death. 

"We go now!" shouted Lars. They all moved, the androids killed and destroyed any machine or Jinzo in their way. They finally reached a hallway that split in two. The entire building shook, the battle outside was very heated.

"Great." said A2, "What do we do now?"

"Assault-vehicles and Resistance androids go left, I'm detecting machines. YoRHa will take on the Jinzo." he pointed to an assault-vehicle, "Come out."

An android popped her head out, "Yeah?" It was one of the androids from the showers, Arrow.

"Arrow, you're in charge of the ones going with you guys. Report to me if you find the boss, or any of the ships. Got it?"

"Yes, sir. Alright, let's move." said she. The android went back into the vehicle and started moving with the other Resistance troops. 

Lars looked back at the remaining twelve YoRHa troops. " _Our_ mission, begins now." said Lars. The group of YoRHa soldiers walked through the corridor. "How's it look over there?"

"Nothing yet sir, we see the machines. Engaging now."

Lars heard gunfire and explosions. "Machines down, we're advancing."

"Good." Lars turned back to the group of YoRHa troops. "We'll keep going." he all of the sudden stopped them, "I'm detecting Jinzo behind that door, move carefully. 2B, take the charge."

"Understood." she responded.

2B forward carefully. Every step was with caution, when she reached a door, she looked back at Lars, who nodded. 2B opened up the door and several Jinzo lancers lunged forward. 2B jumped back and deflected a lance, then Pod-042 came up and shot all of them down. "Good work." said Lars. "Keep going. 2B, back to us."

As they all advance further in the hallway, everyone noticed that there was little to no guards anywhere. "Where are the enemies?" asked an android.

"They all must have been drawn out."

"Yeah, but there aren't even any machines. Something as important as armored assault ships  _should_ be heavily guarded, right?"

"Cut the chatter." said Lars, "Arrow, how's it looking over on your side?"

"Practically nothing, a few machine and guard here and there. But otherwise nothing."

"Then I have a new mission for the twenty-one of you. Go back out and help out Storm and the others holding out, if all the guards in this huge factory are all out there fighting, then our troops will need all the support they can get."

"You got it, sir. Arrow out."

"Is it really wise to leave us like this? What if there's an ambush." asked an android from behind Lars.

"There shouldn't be, I just ran an entire scan of the entire factory, there's only one entire Jinzo reading in the entire place," he looked up to the ceiling. "And he's at the top floor. Let's go." Lars and the rest of his troops began running up to the top floor. Half way there, all of the androids started complaining about a sensation that wouldn't stop. 

"Wha-! Lars, this is the same sensation we felt when we first fought the Jinzo!" said A2.

"Impossible, you two are feeling it, too? I destroyed your guys' human safety features. How?" asked Lars.

"It has to be something else then, what should we do?" asked 2B.

"New mission for you eleven, go get the ships. Every single Jinzo is fighting outside, the sensation shouldn't effect you when you fight machines and as far as I'm concerned, there are no machines or Jinzo in the factory. Retrieve those ships and once you do, launch one of the completed ships and issue a seize fire. Got it?"

"Sir! Yes, sir!" shouted the androids, they all put their left hand over their chests. Lars did the same.

They all split off, Lars saw all of them run into the other hallways and he looked up. He spread his wings and began his flight to the top floor.

*Transition*

*Last Extremity (Gundam IBO)*

Bullets zipped narrowly past his head, a few of his hairs were cut off.

An explosion happened right next to him knocking him off. He looked around and was almost shot dead down by Jinzo gun-men. But the assault-vehicle pulled up just in time and blocked the shots. It then fired back at them, tearing them to shreds.

"You alright, sir?" asked the android inside.

"I'm fine." responded 9S. "Go back to the forest and resupply, I'm calling another rail-strike!"

"Gotcha!" the assault-vehicle drove off back to the forest. 9S looked forward, "We've taken a lot of casualties, c'mon Lars. Hurry it up..." he looked forward and deflected a blade, 9S tried to strike back, but his blade was parried and he was knocked to the floor. 9S was almost killed, but Pod-153 fired a lazer at the swords-man, killing him. "Thanks."

"Affirmative. Proposal: Unit 9S should contact La Belle Femme and order a rail-strike."

"Yeah, I was going to do that." he pressed his headset, "Can you hear me?"

"Read you loud and clear!"

"Fire again, this time at these five clicks West and six clicks North of the last shot! And add missiles this time!"

"You got it!"

9S looked back and saw missiles in the distance and rail shots incoming. They struck a fortress and completely shattered it, then the missiles came in and destroyed the rest of the artillery around it. Then, Storm pulled up, he had several lacerations and was bleeding quite a bit, "Our forces are decreasing. And we have to keep falling back! We're losing ground, and burned through half-way of out ammo..."

"How much man-power do we have left?"

"Sixteen twin-cannons, three automatic-cannon, eight missile carriers, nine hybrids, five flight units, and about hundred forty troops left, even with Arrow's team, we're losing a lot."

"We just have to hold out a bit longer." said 9S, "We can do this!" The automatic assault-vehicle pulled up just then.

"Get on!" the man inside shouted. 9S climbed on board and looked at Storm.

"Pull back, I'm ordering the ship and our hybrid and missile vehicles to fire all remaining missiles, then we'll push one last time."

"I like your style." Storm grabbed his radio, "All troops, fall back! Back to the forest! Missile bombardment, incoming!" 

All of the troops fell back to the forest. All of them lined back up into the organized rows and waited. "Mortars and rockets at the ready!" yelled Storm. YoRHa gunners and Resistance troops armed with missiles and mortars all came forward and readied to fire. 

"Sending over co-ordinates! Fire all missiles!" shouted 9S.

"Understood!"

A loud bang could be heard as missiles overhead flew forward, at this moment, Storm screamed, "All forces! FIRE ALL MISSILES AND EXPLOSIVES WE HAVE!!!" Hybrids, missile carriers, flight units, and ground troops fired all they could. Explosions filled the entire battlefield, most of the Jinzo and machine forces were completely wiped out. Some burned to death, others died in an explosion. Inside the factory, the YoRHa soldiers felt the entire place shake. "CHARGE!!!!" screamed Storm. All of the remaining troops all ran forward and met the remaining Jinzo and machine forces. 

"Use our vehicles' speed and maneuverability to take down those goliath-tanks!" shouted 9S.  _"Come on, Lars."_ thought he.

*Transition*

*Fade*

Lars had finally reached the top floor. No guards were there, as expected. Lars listened in through the door, a voice was faint but it was there, "Captain, move your forces to the middle, make sure you send the machines out first! I know most of our forces were wiped out by those damn androids, but we must prevail!"

From these words, Lars knew that this was the leader. He punched the door down with his dark-arm. The man at the monitors was an old, decrepit man. He wore royal robes with a club on it, "So you are the king of clubs?"

"Stay back! I'm warning you boy!" he grabbed a scrawny sword from the counter and pointed it at Lars. "I'm a leader! Not a fighter! Leave me be!"

"That's why you're so dangerous, there's no way I'm letting you live. Not when you killed so many of my men."

"Those were my troops! Not me!" Lars advanced slowly and knocked the sword right out of his hand.

"Yeah, men under  _your_ order. Time to die old man."

"Y-you sick bastard! You enjoy this don't you!?"

Lars stopped and looked at him straight in the eye. A small smile appeared on his face as he bought his blade down on the man begging him. He wasn't dead by the first stab, so he lifted the blade and stabbed him again, and again, and again. All the while with a small smile. When the old man was dead, he looked at the monitors, the fighting didn't stop yet. "The rest is up to you two, 2B, A2."

*Transition*

"We found them!" shouted an android.

The eleven androids finally found the hangar, there they were. Two completed ships, and two frames. Just waiting to be customized.

"Then let's hurry and go!" said another. As the eleven androids entered the ship, they all wandered around until they got to the bridge. Two chairs were in front and two on the side. A single chair in the middle stood, 2B quickly sat in it and saw two wires. They looked like the same from the mask, so she plugged them into her neck. She felt the data stream into her mind and groaned a bit.

"What's wrong?" asked A2.

"N-nothing." 2B's nose was bleeding, "Just need to get used to it. Everybody hold on, we're taking off."

The ship's thrusters all turned on and sent a giant rumbling through the whole factory.

Outside, a giant hole in the ground opened up and everyone stopped fighting. The ship flew out of the opening and Resistance troops and YoRHa troops knew what this meant.  "THIS IS UNIT 2B OF YoRHa. JINZO, SEIZE FIGHTING, WE HAVE WON." she said over the giant microphone.

Down below, the Jinzo dropped their weapons and raised their arms. The remaining Resistance and YoRHa troops all cheered and celebrated. 9S looked up and smiled. "Contact the Bunker, mission complete."

"Affirmative."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate growing up.  
> The assault vehicles look similar to Gundam Ibo Tekkadan mobile workers.  
> Also, the two finished ships look like the Isaribi. Also from Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans.


	26. Update

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little notice. It breaks the fourth wall and you should use your imagination, it's a script of sorts, I guess.

(Dark Room)

(Lights Turn On Revealing Four Chairs)

(Lars walks in, looks at viewer)

Lars: Oh! Hey there. 

(He sits down in one of the chairs)

Lars: If you're wondering where everyone is, they're getting ready. So, guess I'll wait for them.

(A2 walks in and sits next to Lars)

A2: Hey, kiddo.

Lars: When did you start calling me kiddo?

A2: Isn't it another human custom?

Lars: If I'm like, your son or something like that...

A2: I'll keep that in mind.

(2B and 9S both walk in, with Pods 042 and 153. Both their visors are not present, and they both sit in remaining chairs) 

9S: Sorry we took so long. 2B was hesitating to take her visor off.

2B: It's standard protocol to keep them on.

9S: Then why doesn't A2 or Lars where them?

(Adam and Eve walk in)

Adam: Must you be so hostile? Especially against her?

9S: I wasn't being- oh for the love of- whatever.

Eve: What're we doing here?

(Commander, 6O, 21O enter)

21O: We are currently delivering a message to the viewers.

6O: How many are there going to be?

Lars: I think most of the main characters are going to be here.

Pod-153: Analysis: YoRHa Commander 0C is correct.

Commander: Will we all even fit?

(Devola and Popola come in)

Popola: I think we could all fit.

Devola: I don't know about that.

2B: Is it time yet?

Pod-042: Negative: Anemone, Emil, and Pascal has not shown up yet.

A2: This is getting out of hand...

Lars: And here they are. 

(Anemone, Pascal, Emil, Sral, Dan, Kuro, and Pallad walk in)

Lars: Whoa! What're  _they_ doing here?!

Sral: Can't have all the main characters without the villains can't you?

Kuro: Hehehe, I think we're all here...

Dan: It's rather cramped in here. I don't like it, not one bit!

Pallad: Awww shaddup, Dan. Not like your claustrophobic.

9S: We're all here then?

Anemone: Yeah, let's get started.

Pascal: This is so exciting!

Lars: Right... So the writer's laptop broke.

A2: Meaning, he can't write for a while.

2B: Rest assured, he'll be back.

9S: Assuming his laptop is fixed.

Pod-042: Message has reached conclusion.

A2: Why did all of us gather then?!

Lars: Guess we'll take it to the writer then. For now however, we're all on hiatus.

9S: We'll see you all soon!

(I [writer] walks in)

Me: Hey guys!

Lars: Get him!!

(All characters jump at him except Emil)

Me: *SCREEEEEECH!*

Emil: Oh dear. I hope they don't kill him. Anyway, I guess this is it for a while.

(Everybody is piled on top of writer. They look at viewer all smiling)

Everybody: SEE YOU NEXT TIME! BYE!

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I used my phone for this.


	27. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle is over, YoRHa and the Resistance forces are victorious. The words ring in Lars' head, does he truly relish the slaughter of the Jinzo? If not, why did he smile when he killed the king?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My computer got fixed rather fast. Thank God my dad's good at this stuff.

"Contact the Bunker, mission completed."

"Affirmative."

9S looked up at the crimson ship that flew in the air. A smile appeared on his face, he then looked around at all the celebrating YoRHa and Resistance soldiers. Then he saw the grieving Jinzo, some were in shock, others broke down into tears. 9S felt a bit of sympathy for them, but he remembered that it was war. No one can feel sympathy for the enemy, not now, not ever. "YoRHa AND RESISTANCE FORCES, SUBJUGATE ANY AND ALL REMAINING JINZO FORCES IMMEDIATELY." said another android within the ship.

Resistance and YoRHa soldiers were quick to point weapons at the remaining enemies. 9S was one of the soldiers commanding the androids on what to do, Lars was still probably in the factory, 2B and A2 were sure to be in that ship, but the battle was over. At long last.

*Transition*

Lars sat in a corner of the room. His legs and ankles burned from the day, he looked at the corpse of the old man he had just slain. "Why did I smile? And why did I feel happy?" he looked at his bloodied glove, "Do I  _really_ enjoy this?" he asked to himself. Lars stood back up, he looked at the monitors now. A ship was flying above the entire battlefield, from this, he could tell that they've won. He began to take his leave, but he noticed a strange device on the counter.

"Alert: This is likely the device that stops the YoRHa androids from fighting the Jinzo." stated his mask.

"You certain about that?"

"Affirmative. Alert: YoRHa Commander 0C's emotional state is conflicted. Query: Why is 0C feeling odd?"

"It's nothing..."

"This unit has reason to believe that 0C is hiding something. Analysis: 0C enjoys the killing of Jinzo.

Lars didn't say anything else, he just ignored the mask. 

 

On the outside, the ship began docking back into the hangar. When all of the androids stepped out, they saw Lars waiting for them.

"Commander, our mission is a success." said an android.hhhhhhk

Lars looked at the device and then back at them, he then pulled out his sword, "Attempt to strike my sword." he put it in blocking position.

"Umm, why?" asked another android.

"It's to test my theory."

"Okay..." one android pulled out her lance and attempted to swing it down on Lars. But she stopped halfway and fell to her knees, "I-I can't..." she panted, "It's that overpowering sensation again."

Lars looked at the device and pressed a button to turn it off. When the lights disappeared, the android on her knees stopped shaking. "I feel fine now." she saw the device in Lars' hands, "Is that...?"

"It should be. I need this analyzed. The sensation is gone, yes?" asked he.

"Yes, sir. It's gone." said another android.

"Alright, let's go outside and meet up with everyone else."

*Transition*

9S got of the assault-vehicle. He looked at their prisoners, "Sixty-eight. That's all of 'em." he said to Storm.

"I reckon. Well, I'll find out what to do with 'em. You should go regroup with your team. I'll take things from here."

"Thanks." said 9S. He then set off to find the others. As he walked through the battle-field, he saw several dead soldiers, both androids and Jinzo. Several destroyed vehicles, also from both sides. "So, this is conventional warfare, huh?" he walked closer and closer to the factory. Eventually, the others came into sight.

"2B!" 9S shouted. The moment she caught sight of him, she practically ran to him. She hugged him and held him close.

"You're alright." she said, it was as if she were on the verge of tears. 

"Yeah, I'm fine. What do we do now?" asked 9S.

"Well, we can stay here on the Galapagos for a while and straighten things out here. Help out Storm and his men settle and set up here in this factory. Turns out capturing this place means that we can make better weapons for our Gunners and Resistance troops. More assault-vehicles and flight units, too." said Lars.

"Yeah, let's do that." said A2.

"Right, let's get to it, then." 

The rest of the day was moving supplies to new tents being set up. The remainder of Storm's men took refuge in the factory, the Jinzo prisoners were put in containment. As Lars worked, it helped take his mind off of his encounter with the king. When he spaced out, a hand touched his shoulder. Lars looked behind him to see 9S.

"Something wrong?" asked 9S.

"N-nothing." Lars gave him a re-assuring smile, "C'mon, let's get moving, Nines."

"You got it." 9S smiled.

When the sun finally went down, Lars sat there with the other three. They looked at the stars, trying to spot consolations. Eventually, Storm walked up to them, "We're all done here. You can head on home if you'd like."

"You going to be alright here, Storm?" asked Lars.

"Yep, nothin' new. Commander, it's been an honor." he saluted to Lars, then looked at 9S, "Been an honor servin' with you too. Now I know this ain't an actual promotion but, from here on out, you're my Deputy Captain."

"Thanks, Storm." said 9S. 

As Storm walked away, Lars smiled at 9S, "Quite the promotion, Nines."

"Looks like  _I'll_ be giving orders too sometimes." responded 9S. 

Lars opened up a portal that led back to the Resistance camp. When they walked through it, 2B and 9S went back to their room. "I'm gonna shower." said Lars, he looked back at A2, "You?" asked he.

"I'll meet you in your room. See ya." A2 walked off to the other showers.

Lars entered his room and saw his bed, a sight truly to behold. The smell of his room was very refreshing. He removed his clothing and began to shower, cleansing himself of all that filth he encountered. When he exited, he saw Popola walk in. "Hey." he said.

Popola handed him his food and sat next to him as he ate. "Adam... he was really thankful for the book. Thanks for the advice." she smiled.

"Anytime." Lars said as he ate, "So, why  _did_ you want to give him a gift."

"Well, I-I," Popola stuttered, "I said I just wanted to thank him for helping out."

"I feel as if that's not it." Lars paused and looked at her, "Popola?"

"Y-yes?"

"Your face is red. You're blushing, you fancy Adam don't you? I'm not judging."

"W-well, y-yeah. I do." Popola finally sighed, "I made it obvious didn't I?"

"Yup." replied Lars.

"Alright, just don't tell Devola, I get the feeling she won't be pleased. Good night, Lars."

"Good night." responded Lars. He finished his plate and brushed. Now, all he needed to do was wait for A2. But he just couldn't shake from the thought of killing, he felt as if he really  _did_ enjoy killing that old man. He even smiled about it and took his time, all the while the old man screamed in pain and begged him to stop.

"Hey." said A2, she had just walked through his door, her hair still a bit wet. "Hope I didn't keep you waiting." Lars was about to say something but was cut off by a sudden beep.

Lars looked at the source of the notification, it was from his little terminal. He took a  look at it, "Tomorrow return to the Galapagos, you'll meet your new crew there and establish the chain of command. I'm putting you in charge of one of the Armored assault ships. That is all.   -White" it read.

"So you're getting a ship?" asked A2.

"Yeah, this is gonna be sick." responded Lars. "Guess I'll wait to see what tomorrow brings." He looked at the clock, it was nearing midnight. "I'm going to bed. You staying A2?"

"You want me to?" asked she.

"That'd be nice. I prefer to have company when I sleep."

"Alright, I'll stay with you." A2 climbed into the bed with Lars. "Good night."

"Good night." responded Lars. He turned off the lamp and closed his eyes. He felt a pair of arms wrap around him, with A2's warmth, he quietly went to sleep.

 

Lars opened his eyes, he was in a place much like the copied city. Except he was near some kind of giant pit, where was he. "What do you know? You don't know anything at all about us!"shouted a sudden voice. Lars looked forward to see 9S, he was pointing his blade at A2, except she was in her old apparel.

Lars had no control over his body, he drew his sword. But then he remembered, Lawsh told him all about this, was he experiencing Lawsh's memories? Why? "Pod-153! I order you to halt all logical thought and speech! This order shall remain in effect until you confirm the death of myself or unit A2!" Pod-153 floated away.

It appeared that Lars had no control over his words either. "Nines! We can stop this, I can fix you! I can-"

"Shut UP! You damn traitor! YOU KNOW WHAT A2 DID! Yet you side with her?!" shouted 9S.

"Then, you leave me with no choice..." Lars raised his type-4O sword. But a blade was put right in front of him. A2 was stopping him.

"I can't let you fight him. He's your friend isn't he... leave this up to me..." she said quietly. Lars just sheathed his sword and jumped back to a safe location.

Suddenly, both of the androids charged towards each other, their blades clashed. Both pods fired endless bullets at their designated targets. It really was what Lawsh described it as, a chaotic battle. Eventually, 9S charged forth, he swung his sword several times, A2 parried and blocked every single one of them. 9S was sent to his knees, A2 raised her sword to carry out the final blow, but she hesitated. A sword went right through her abdomen, as 9S pushed it deeper, a cry of pain came out of A2. She scrambled a bit and looked straight at Lars, "Lars... run..." and then, she was gone.

A2 had just died right before Lars' eyes. 9S began giggling with glee, "Did you see that, Lars?! I did it! I killed her!" he laughed, "I FINALLY GOT MY REVENGE!" he screamed. Before he could say anything else, he was punched right in the face. He looked up at Lars, "What're you-?!"

"SHUT UP!" screamed Lars. He swung his left arm and a giant crunch could be heard from 9S. He shrieked in pain as Lars continued to brutally beat him, "2B! Would be disgusted!" shouted Lars, "You don't deserve to have her near!!" he grabbed 9S' left arm and tore it right off.

Lawsh lied, he didn't just stab 9S, he was tearing him apart. And Lars, experiencing this memory of Lawsh' felt good. He was getting satisfaction from this? Lars wanted to wake up, but he could not, this was a memory. A memory that was turning into more and more of a night-mare as he killed 9S slowly, his own friend. Lars had just watched the one he loved die right in front of him, now he was killing his best friend and enjoying it.

9S let out a distorted scream as the arm was ripped off. Throwing it aside, and continued his devastating blows. Alas, Lars drew his sword and pulled the trigger, he charged toward 9S. It was like cutting through butter. The glowing blade had stabbed 9S right where A2 was stabbed. His friend fell over and scrambled around, he looked at eyes with hatred and betrayal. Lars only looked at him with hate, and so much sadness. He kept scrambling until he finally stopped, everyone was dead, he knew of 2B's fate in this timeline. 

Lars was not mentally begging to be let out of this night-mare. He, in Lawsh' body, looked at 2B's sword. Slowly crawling over to it, only one thought crossed his mind. Death. As he picked up the sword he tried to slit his throat, but he stopped. It was just as Lawsh had said, his friends all died to horribly, his death would be cheap. He stopped as something came out, when it did, the entire structure began to collapse. Lars picked up both 2B's and 9S' weapons and jumped out into the light.

It was finally over, he was thrusted back into the real world...

 

Lars sat up faster than the speed of sound, letting out a cry of pain and sorrow. This in turn woke A2 up, she rubbed her eyes and looked at Lars with confusion, "What's wrong?" asked she.

"A2, I..." Lars began crying. He cried because not only did he basically watch his friends die, but he enjoyed the killing of 9S as well, "You're alive. Thank God..." he wept, "I... I experienced something. It was terrible, I don't ever want to see it ever again..." said Lars.

"What? What did you see? Lars, I can help you if you tell me, please." A2 said quietly. "It hurts me more than anything to see you sad..."

"I saw Lawsh's memories through my own eyes. I experienced your battle with Nines through his eyes. 9S killed you, so I beat him brutally and killed him. The worst part is, I enjoyed it. I felt satisfaction, the same feeling I felt when I took care of the king. It makes me sick just  _thinking_ about it." Lars looked at A2, tears filled his eyes, "I want... I  _need_ help. I don't  _want to_ enjoy killing..."

A2 had never dealt with this ever before, she didn't know what to say. "I..." she really didn't know what to say. Thoughts rushed into her mind on what to say, but there were too many to choose from, so she couldn't do anything. "It's alright, I'm here, remember?" she finally said. "Plus, Adam might be able to help. We'll go see him tomorrow after our assignment, is that alright?"

Lars continued to stare at A2, "Yeah... Thank you..." he said, "This means so much to me."

A2 smiled at him, "Now come on, let's go to sleep."

Lars and A2 tucked themselves in again, Lars began thinking about anyone who could help him. Adam and Eve popped into his mind before he drifted back to his deep slumber. 

*The next morning*

Lars was being gently shaken by A2. She was already dressed in her armor, and was merely waiting now. "How're you doing?" asked she.

"I'm doing fine. We should head out soon."

Lars got up and walked over to the washroom. Half an hour later, he walked out, fully dressed and with only one sword. It was the one he had in his dream, the modded Type-4O sword he first received. "Don't remember the last time I swung this blade." an image popped into his mind. When he walked out with A2, 2B and 9S were standing outside the building.

"We got orders about getting everything in order with your ship." said 9S, "Ready to go?" he asked. Lars took one look and the image of the insane 9S entered his mind, as he spaced out for a moment, 9S got a bit weirded out. "Umm, Lars? Is something wrong?" asked 9S.

Lars snapped out of it and told himself to focus in his mind, "N-nothing's wrong. Yeah, l-let's go." he stuttered. Lars opened up a portal and the four stepped into it. Once on the other side, Storm was right there to greet them.

"Y'know, I don't think I'll ever get used to that." he stated, "Anyway, I assume you're here 'bout your ship?"

"That's correct. Where's my crew?" asked Lars.

"Right here, sir. They came here early in the morning, 'bout three hours before you got here." He stepped aside and several androids walked up to Lars. 6O, 21O, and 19H were some of the crew members. Storm pointed at 6O, "This one was pretty excited about bein' part of the crew."

"O-operator?" asked 9S?

"Yes, I have been assigned to the crew, but that doesn't mean I've stopped being your operator, same with the other operators who were assigned to the crew." said 21O calmly.

"Ohmigod! I can't believe I'm finally going to see more of Earth!" squealed 6O. "Commander, it's going to be such an honor!" she said to Lars.

"Like wise. Hey, Doc." responded Lars.

"Commander, I'd wish you could stop calling me that." said 19H.

"You call me 0C though, you going to stop?"

"Of course not."

"Then I'm not stopping either. Right then, time to start. Where is the ship?" he asked Storm.

"Same place as yesterday, the hangar. I got some things to do, so I can't accompany you, see ya, Commander." Storm went off to aid his troops. 

Lars looked his entire crew. "Let's go to the hangar then shall we?" The group of soldiers started walking through the factory to the hangar. Lars noticed that the androids were already beginning to produce better weapons and even assault-vehicles. "Looks like they're doing pretty well." stated Lars. Finally, they reached the hangar, and when the door opened up, there was the crimson ship.

"Wow. It's more impressive up close." said 9S.

Everyone stepped into the ship. Lars looked at the interior, it was rather professional, and very militaristic. He looked at one of the consoles, "Name:" it read. "Sweet, I can name this thing?" asked Lars.

"I guess." said 9S, "What do you have in mind?" 

Lars thought for a moment, then he decided. "Will-O'the-Wisp." he said suddenly.

"Will-O'the-Wisp?" asked A2.

"It's some kind of ghost light seen over bogs or marshes. I would see them a lot as a kid, they looked like flickering oil-lamps. I always loved them, so that's what I'm naming the ship." responded Lars. "Maybe we'll see it on a mission at one point."

"Sounds interesting. I can't wait!" squealed 6O.

"I like your enthusiasm." smiled Lars.

21O suddenly cut in, "We are getting off task. Please, just assign our positions."

"Yeah, yeah." responded Lars.

" _One_ affirmation will suffice." said 21O. 9S started to laugh.

"What the? Aren't you supposed to be saying that to 9S?" asked Lars. 9S burst into laughter now.

"Yes, but you are off task."

"Yeah, yeah."

" _One_ affirmation will-"

"Fine." said Lars suddenly, "Anyway, Mask, what kind of units are present?"

"Twenty scanner types. Thirty battle types. Twenty defensive types. Thirty Gunner types. Twenty operators. All of Team H-107-0-0 is present. One attacker. You will receive more units over time." said the mask

"What can operators do? Other than run systems and all that." asked Lars.

"We can do maintenance, repairs, and basically everything that has something to do with our vehicles." said an operator.

"Alright then. For now, here's how it's going to go. Four operators will be in here in the bridge, the rest of you will be doing system running, maintenance, repairs, and refueling in battles along with fifty percent of the scanner we have currently. The operators that will stay are 6O, 21O, 18O, and 91O. Got it?" asked Lars. Several of the operators saluted and left the bridge to scatter across the entire ship along with ten scanners. Leaving the four operators, ten scanners, and the rest of the soldiers. "The rest of the scanners will be doing reconnaissance and fighting alongside all the other YoRHa B types. We'll get more over time."

All the other scanners and battlers began moving through out the entire ship. Lars looked at the D types and G types, along with the medical team. "How many soldiers does it take to run one canon on this ship?"

"It will take two members. Each cannon has two barrels. This ship has seven guns." it showed a holographic model of the ship. Lars saw four guns up front, two in the central part, and one in the back. "Missile control is also in the bridge." stated his mask.

"Alright, fourteen gunners will be running the Will-O'the-Wisp's guns. The rest of you will be fighting in deployments. Thanks to the factory, we can now mass-produce flight units and better guns. Defender types will also be down at the battle field. The medical team is to be assigned to the med-bay. I believe that's all our positions."

"Correct." said his mask.

Everyone else left the bridge to head to their stations. Leaving Lars, 2B, 9S, A2, 6O, 21O, 18O, and 91O. "I'll likely be fighting on the ground more, I'll command the ship from the ground. 6O, you always wanted to see Earth didn't you? All the nature, cute animals, the beauties of Earth?"

"Yes! Why?" asked she.

"Since I'm likely to be on the ground a lot, you'll be taking the helm while I'm gone. You'll have the best seat to see every detail of Earth you want. That sound good to you?"

"R-really? You're  _really_ letting me take the helm whenever you're gone?" 6O asked, she was a like a ticking bomb filled with happy. Just waiting to explode.

"Yeah, I mean it." said Lars,

6O let out a huge squeal and ran up to hug Lars. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!" she nearly shouted.

"Hey, stop being so touchy." said A2, annoyed.

"Sorry, I was excited." said 6O, she was finally calming down.

Lars walked over to his seat. "Now to learn how to actually take the helm..." he said quietly.

"When I first sat there, there were two wires that were very similar to your mask's. I connected just fine, you should be able as well because of your spine. Get ready for the shock, though." said 2B.

Lars sat in the seat. Then he proceeded to plug the wires in to his modules. He felt the stream run into his brain, he was getting so much data that he early fainted. Lars felt like he needed to throw up, scream, cough out blood, or all at the same time. "GRAAAAAAH!!" he screamed.

"Lars!" shouted A2, 2B, and 9S.

"Commander!" Shouted the other four operators at the same time.

"I-it's nothing. I got it... I'm fine." Lars said, he then took a few deep breaths and calmed himself.  Lars looked at the monitor and saw a name, "Will-O'the-Wisp" it read, but the label above it said another name. "Sral?" asked Lars, "I guess this was supposed to be your ship. Let's change that." Lars erased the name and put his own name in. Lars Alexandersson was now the captain. He then pressed a button on his monitor that was labeled "microphone". "Attention all hands, this is the bridge. Get used to the entire ship, pick your rooms, all that stuff. We'll begin take off momentarily." he said.

Lars looked around his console a bit more. He saw every system and room status, the guns, how much ammo there was, how many vehicles they had, all of it. He then disconnected himself and looked at 6O, "You better get used to it as well, 6O. You  _will_ be taking the helm whenever I'm gone."

"Yes, sir." she said. 6O sat in the chair for a moment and braced herself while she connected the wires. 6O let out a series of screams and then she stopped. "I think... I think..." she panted, "I think I'm done. Commander?"

"Yes?" 

"Permission to go lay down?" she asked.

"Permission granted, go and rest for a bit." said Lars. 6O left the bridge, the other three operators sat down in their spots and began running systems and making sure everything worked. he sat back in the chair and connected the wires, the shock was a little less painful now, "Alright, I think it's time the Will-O'the-Wisp took flight." Lars said, he pressed the microphone button, "All hands, it's time to take off. Fasten all loose items if you have any and get ready to feel some G-force."

"Opening the hangar door." said 21O.

"Disengaging anchors." stated 91O.

"We are ready for take off, sir." said 18O.

"Alright, here we go... This is the Will-O'the-Wisp. LAUNCHING!" the entire ship began shacking as a sound of after burners became louder and louder. Slowly, the ship began to rise out of the ground. It kept going until it was finally out of the hangar. The ship steadily ascended into the air, but another source of rumbling started, Lars looked at one of the back cameras and saw another ship that looked identical to the Will-O'the-Wisp.

A face popped up on Lars' monitor, a female android appeared to be the captain of the other ship, "Commander, this is Armored Assault Ship Isaribi of the Resistance. Looking forward to fight alongside you." said an android over the comms.

"Isaribi, we read you loud and clear. The Will-O'the-Wisp crew will be honored to fight alongside you." responded Lars. 

"We'll be stationed here for a while sir, just getting some altitude. Safe travels, and tell Anemone that Whisperer says hello."

"'ll be sure to tell her that, Whisperer. Farewell." Lars turned off the screen, "Alright people, let's go back to the Resistance camp that we all know and love."

"Wait, where will the ship be?" asked 9S.

"There's an old machine stronghold that was cleared out and built to be a hangar for the ship. That's where the Will-O'the-Wisp will be staying. For now, I give the ship's control back to you guys." Said Lars. He disconnected the wires connected to his nape and got up. "How close are we to the camp?"

"We'll make it in about half an hour. You can go get some rest, sir. We'll take it from here." said 91O. 

Lars stepped out of the bridge with the others and entered an elevator. As they descended, Lars couldn't fight the urge to explore the ship. Despite this being his ship, he actually hadn't seen much of it. "Hey, guys?"

"What is it?" asked 2B.

"I kinda want to explore the ship. Y'know, get used to it." 

"Then let's go, nothing's stopping us." responded A2.

Through out the ship, Lars saw many things. The first place they headed to was his room, it was quite spacious and had a few monitors and a bed, along with a bathroom. Then they headed to the med-bay, that was short lived as the healers huddled them out after a minute. The hangar was much like the Bunker's, but a crane was there to lower each flight unit to the catapult whenever there was going to be a fight. Lars also saw the gunner stations, it was very militaristic. The group didn't get to explore the entire ship because they got to land before they could.

2B, A2, and 9S got ready to leave, so Lars went to the bridge himself. He looked and saw the ship's designated bay. "Do you see that structure?" he asked.

"Affirmative, we'll begin landing procedures. I also forgot to tell you, this ship has all the equipment needed for us to still be operators, so we're all stationed here now." said 21O.

"Wonderful, so all of the operators here can still be operators?" asked Lars.

"That is correct."

"Alright, I'll leave to you all then." Lars turned to leave the bridge but he stopped, "What is it you want to know, 21O?"

"I have not asked anything."

"I know you want to ask something, please make it brief."

21O couldn't hold back anymore, she wanted to know. "What was your family like?" the other two operators looked up.

"21O, I don't think it's wise to ask the Commander this." said 18O.

"No, no, no, it's quite alright. Well, my family wasn't ever that disfunctional. We all got along really well, my dad loved my mom very much. Hell, when I was about five, my parents found and adopted a girl. She decided to name herself Zero, she became my step-sister. We had good times together, lots of them. She went to high school when she was fourteen, she went far to a really good school, I think she lived with Nier. Everything was still happy, until it wasn't..." Lars sniffed, "You already know all the details."

"Thank you, commander." said 21O. Without another word, she sat back down in her chair to continue working. Finally, the ship landed. Lars met up with his friends and left, while they were walking to the camp, Lars stopped.

"You guys go on ahead, I have some things to take care of." said he.

"Oh, um... Sure. We'll meet you back at camp I guess." responded 9S, he and 2B began walking back. Whilst they walked, 9S spoke up, "Hey, 2B?"

"What is it?" asked she.

"Did Lars seem a bit... off To you today?"

"He spaced out when he saw you today. He looked a bit shaken to me."

"I'm worried, I wonder what he's going through?"

"We can only wait for him to tell us, there's no point in trying to force it out of him or pressuring him." sighed 2B.

"Yeah, I guess."

*Transition*

A2 walked with Lars to the building where Adam and Eve resided. When they got to the top, there was Adam sitting there with a book in his hands, Eve was eating an apple. Lars made one step toward Adam and the machine twins both looked up. "I saw your ship landing, quite the site. Eve, could you get some tea for our guests?"

"Sure." responded Eve, he went to grab a few chairs first and seated both Lars and A2, then bought them some tea. 

"So, what brings you two here? Is something amiss?" asked Adam, he closed his book and placed it on the table/

"Adam, lately, I've started to enjoy killing."

"Oh? I don't see it as that bad. You've killed before, haven't you?"

"Yeah, because I needed to. I don't want to enjoy killing anyone, I'll do it if I have to, but I don't want to do it so it can satisfy me or whatever. I had a damn dream where I killed my own friend, and I enjoyed it."

"So what are you proposing?"

"Adam, I need you to destroy those memories..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anime Expo was awesome!


	28. Invasion of Earth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lars has asked Adam to destroy his memories. Adam may be able to do it, but at a high risk, but there are also more things to worry about. For the YoRHa invasion of Earth is to begin soon. But the Jinzo have something at the ready...  
> Something terrible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been away. Guess I needed time to think.

"You want me to what?" asked Adam, "Destroy those memories of your enjoyment of killing?"

"That is correct. I can't live with relishing the deaths of my enemies, even if they're just copies of the original humans." Lars kept his bold stare at Adam.

"It'd be easier to just erase your memory again..." sighed Adam, "Do you realize how high of a risk you are taking? You could end up brain-dead if you're just having me erase  _some_ of your memories! Do you really want to take that risk?" he looked over at A2, "What would  _she_ do if you were to end up a vegetable?"

A2 remained silent, not word came out.

"Look, I understand there is a risk... and I'm willing to take it. I don't want to lose my memories, Eve taking them was bad enough, but if you wipe them, then they're gone forever. Adam, please. My mind is set on one thing, and that's losing only those memories of my enjoyment."

Adam took a deep breath. He got up and walked in a few circles, pondering on whether he should do it or not. Finally, he walked back to the table, "You're sure this is what you want? If you go brain-dead, it'll basically be a cursed existence, you'd be better off dead. And there'll be no bringing you back from that. Make sure this is what you want." 

Lars spent no time hesitating, "Yes. This is what I want. No going back, no regrets." said he.

A2 shuddered a bit. She could lose him forever, these could be her last couple words, "I love you... Please, come back..." was what she choked out when she saw Lars following Adam into a small room.

Lars and Adam walked into a dimly lit room with a single chair, "Sit there..." said Adam. Even he seemed reluctant to do this. But, Lars already said he wasn't going back on his word. "This is it. You're absolutely sure?"

"Yeah, I am." responded Lars.

"Very well, let's begin then." said Adam grimly. Lars felt Adam's gloved hand grab hold of his head, "This will hurt, a lot."

Lars braced himself for the worst. In his mind, he prayed to God to keep him safe. He began feeling heat, Adam's hand was shaking, his grip also tightened. Then, it was as if all time stopped, and Lars felt both a sharp and blunt pain in his head. It was as if he was stabbed with a long spear, then hit with a mace. These two types of pains were also followed by one that felt as if his entire head was about to explode, burst into flames, or both at the same time. This is when Lars began screaming, he was screaming so loud, that it was piercing the walls. He felt those four types of pain and more.

Outside, A2 listened in horror. She was going to run in to stop the procedure, but something made of energy kept here suspended in the air. A2 twisted her head around to see Eve holding her. "LET ME GO!!" she turned back and continued struggling, "I HAVE TO STOP HIM!!". A2 felt as if she were responsible for this, after all, it was her idea to go to Adam.

"Sorry, I can't let you interfere with the procedure." responded Eve. He only held A2 there as she kept struggling.

Back in the room, Lars could feel something slip away from his mind, but he was in too much pain to know what it was. His screaming continued, Adam kept tightening his grip, until he ripped his hand off of Lars' head, pulling out some sort of golden light. He held it for a bit then put it into a jar. He walked in front of Lars, who had stopped screaming, his eyes, lifeless. "Lars?" asked Adam. Lars did not say anything, his eyes remained lifeless. "Oh no..." whispered Adam.

He grabbed the lifeless boy by the shoulders and began shaking him rapidly. "Lars, Awaken!" It was useless, Lars was now brain-dead, or so he appeared to be.

 

 

Lars' eyes fluttered open. He looked around to see he was in that realm again, he was dead? "This place again?" asked he, "I thought I was only supposed to be here if I died..."

"Well, you're partially right." said a familiar voice. Before his very eyes, God appeared in front of him, with a bathrobe adorned with what appeared to be African details. "I took you here, taking anymore of that memory wipe, you would've gone brain-dead."

"I see. Anyway, nice robe, and you giving me another choice?"

"Yeah. But I think I know what you're going to pick. So, what's your choice?" he drank another beer.

"You have to ask?"

"Should've known, but before you go, got another Super-nova locket for you. And these are for your friends. With these, you'll actually be able to take on the other versions of you." he held out a Super-nova locket along with a locket with a green gem, another with red, and one with white. He handed them to Lars, who then pocketed them. "Good luck." said he.

"Thanks." responded Lars, but before he could ask what any of the lockets would do, he was taken out of the empty realm.

 

 

He heard someone crying. Lars felt that he was being held by someone, his eyes opened to see A2. Her eyes were close, she couldn't see that Lars wasn't brain-dead. His hand slowly raised and wiped off some of her tears. With this, she opened up her eyes, and she couldn't look happier. "Lars!" she shouted happily, "You're alive... I thought I lost you all over again..." she sniffed.

"It's alright, I'm still here."

Adam walked up, much to A2's dissatisfaction.

"How do you feel?" asked Adam.

"The pain is all gone." said Lars.

"What can you remember about our conversation a while ago?"

"We talked? What was I even doing here? There's just a gap, I remember the Galapagos and... something about an old man telling me I enjoy killing. But, my memories just jump, as if some of them were cut out." said Lars.

"Then it was a success." sighed Adam.

"What was a success?" asked Lars.

"It's best if I didn't tell you. You'd best get going now. Eve heard your terminal have notifications."

"Thanks, I guess. Later." said Lars.

As they were walking home, the sun was starting to set, signaling the end of the day. Lars took out the three lockets he was given. "What're those?" asked A2.

"God gave them to me. Said they were for you, 2B, and Nines." responded Lars. He handed A2 the red one, "He said that with these, we'll all be able to take on the other me's. But, what about Sral? Last time we fought, I won against him."

"We'll have to cross that bridge when we get there, for now, check that notification that you got." said A2.

Lars looked at the terminal and was shocked at what he saw. "Get yourself back to the Bunker by tomorrow, bring the ship along as well. YoRHa finally has enough strength to crush the Jinzo and the machines. We've also received word that the Jinzo have moved their capital to your very region. We don't know the reason, but it makes it perfect for us. It's time to attack. Remember the plan.      -White" it read. "So it's time..." said Lars, "A2, you get to the Will-O'the-Wisp and tell everyone to get ready for take-off, I'll round up the YoRHa soldiers here."

"Understood." said A2, she began taking off towards the Will-O'the-Wisp.  _"Why would the Jinzo move their capital?"_ thought Lars. He began running to the Resistance camp. When he got near the river near the camp, he saw a small crowd comprised of YoRHa soldiers and they all appeared to be waiting for someone or something. When they all caught sight of Lars, they all stopped what they were doing and saluted. Lars stopped to catch his breath a bit, "Listen, I got word that we have to-"

"We know." said a soldier.

"It's time to re-take the Earth, isn't it?" asked another soldier.

"Oh good, you all know. Saves me the trouble, anyway, to the Will-O'the-Wisp." said Lars. He opened a portal into the ship and all the soldiers walked in. Lars met A2 in the bridge along with 2B. He sat in the chair and asked, "Are ready to fly?"

"Ready, sir." said 6O.

"Taking off." stated 91O.

The entire ship rumbled as it started to fly. As they ascended, Lars couldn't stop thinking about why the Jinzo moved their capital, something was up, and he knew it.

*Transition*

Sral swung his sword down, destroying a target. "Your augmentations should give you the capabilities to take on him." said a doctor.

"Good. It has to be me to beat that bastard." said Sral, give me my coat, I'm going to check up on the science department. He walked through the halls of the castle he resided in. Taking the elevator, he went to the enormous basement. There, he saw the Jinzo's new weapons. He looked at the giant biological tubes with various creatures inside. "Perfect." he said, "The androids think they can win this war?" he laughed.

"They are all complete, sir." said a scientist.

"Good, when YoRHa attacks tomorrow, we'll unleash them."

"Pardon me for asking, but how did you know?"

"Well, I have my secrets..."

*Transition*

"We've confirmed that the Jinzo have lost one of four commanding families in their ranks. They are now crippled and can be destroyed all at once along with the machines, they've even moved their capital city, now is the time to absolutely destroy them. As such, humanity has chosen to seize this opportunity to and launch an all-out attack the false humans and the machines. Of course the forces of YoRHa and the Resistance will participate in this endeavor." said Lars. 

"Remember your pain." said the Commander, she looked down at all the androids that looked up at her. "The pain of having your homeland stolen! We will never give up our struggle."

"We will take back the seas! The skies! The land!" shouted Lars.

"We will take back out world from the scourge of our enemies!" shouted the Commander.

Whilst this was happening, 2B put her helmet on. And while she did that, A2 was in her room, cutting her hair short. She looked at herself in the mirror, then stepped out.

"We will not fail in this mission..." said the Commander, "Here and now, we will put an end to this goddamn war!"

"Glory... to mankind!" shouted both Lars and the Commander, they both saluted.

"Glory! To mankind!" shouted the rest of the soldiers.

All the soldiers began heading towards their assigned drop pods. The Commander looked at Lars. "You need the souls of the other versions of you?' asked she.

"That is correct. Once we do that, we'll head to my world and we'll have to see how things unfold from there." responded Lars.

"Very well, get to your ship. It is now or never. Good luck."

"Thanks." as he walked out, he looked at all his gear. His arm, Emil's heavy-sword on his left, his Type-4O sword on top of that, Caim's sword on the back of his waist, the gun the Anemone gave him on his right, the mask below that, his arm, and he took out the two Super-nova lockets. "All my strength, and with the help of others. There's no way I'm gonna lose..."

"Heard yours and the Commander's speech." said a voice next to him. He was delighted to see A2, she was walking with another soldier. 

"Oh, you have short hair now?" asked he.

"I had to cut it short for the helmet, what's wrong?"

"No, no, no. I think it looks good on you, come to think of it, you look a lot more like 2B now. Where is she by the way?"

"Right next to me, you just can't tell, these YoRHa heavy armors are all identical." 2B took off her helmet, revealing her blindfolded face.

"Oh. 2B. Good to see you again, where are you two headed?"

"We're going to our drop pods, you're supposed to be on the Will-O'the-Wisp." said 2B.

"Yeah, I know. Well, I don't want to keep you both here. I'll meet you two on the battlefield." The both of them donned their helmets and walked off to the hangar. Lars walked over to the port for his ship and got to the bridge. "Are all preparations ready?" he asked the operators.

"All troops on board are ready for deployment, all vehicles on standby, we are ready for the attack, sir." said 21O, Lars noticed she was wearing the heavy armor.

"You're going to fight?" asked Lars.

"Yes, sir. I have made a transfer to a B type with the Commander's permission, I am merely awaiting yours."

"For what?"

"For me to actively go out and fight."

Lars looked at the other three, who stared back at him. "Get another operator to the bridge, 21B, you go to the hangar and get a flight unit."

"Thank you, sir." 21O began taking her leave but Lars stopped her.

"This is to help protect 9S, isn't it?"

21O seemed a bit shocked, it was as if Lars could see right through her. But she didn't say anything back, she just nodded and put her helmet on. As she left, another operator walked in through the door. She walked up and saluted to Lars, "63O, reporting for duty." said she.

"Take the empty seat."

"Yes, sir." the operator took the seat and began running the systems. 

"All preparations are ready. Just give us the word." said 6O.

"Alright." said Lars, he connected himself to the Bunker's main channel, "This is the Will-O'the-Wisp, launching!" he shouted.

The anchors on the port were released, the ship began it's descent down to the Earth. Next to the ship, Lars could see various drop pods being shot out down into the Earth. As they began entering the atmosphere, Lars looked around and read a procedure, "We're heading into battle people, stow the bridge away." Suddenly, the bridge of the ship sank into an opening on the ship, and the trap door closed itself. "Flight units, be ready to launch, when you do, do it in clusters and carry the containers carrying ground forces and assault-vehicles." he said over the comms.

All over the ship, soldiers began moving around, the containers were all loaded with YoRHa soldiers. "I'll be heading out soon, 18O, how long until we fully enter the atmosphere?" asked Lars.

"Approximately forty-four seconds, sir." responded 18O.

"Right then, once we're right above the clouds, open the catapult door and give our flight units the all-green to launch." 

"Understood."

Forty seconds passed as if they were nothing, the entire ship had made it into the Earth, and pod upon pod dropped into the Earth. Upon close inspection, each pod burst open and a handful of soldiers ran out to begin fighting. Resistance soldiers were already on the ground fighting the machines and Jinzo. From the catapult, flight units carrying containers began to take off to join the fight. "All forces have been sent out." said 91O.

"Alright I'm heading out, 6O, take the helm!" shouted Lars.

"Yes, sir!" she responded as Lars exited the bridge. He quickly made his way to the hangar, put his mask on, and got into his flight unit. It was then lowered onto the catapult.

"This is YoRHa Commander 0C, heading out." he said. The catapult flung his flight unit forward and he began flying to the ground, "Will-O'the-Wisp, your job is to provide bombardments to aerial and ground machine and Jinzo forces, a small number of our flight units will help."

"Understood, sir, bridge out." said 6O.

Lars flew under the clouds and the Will-O'the-Wisp followed. He saw multiple machine forces coming his way, and started destroying them like they were nothing. His flight unit underwent mobile configuration and he began slashing away at the flying machines. "Mask, put me though to a captain of a vanguard squadron."

"Forwarding to Captain 4B." responded his mask.

"This is 4B, captain of Vanguard Squadron Alpha. Am I glad you called, we are being worn down by a fierce enemy attack." said she.

"Alright, I'll send 91G's team over your way." Lars quickly connected himself to 91G, "91G, take your squadron, head over to 4B's team and begin providing fire support."

"Understood." said she before disconnecting. 

*Drakengard 1 Chapter 3 On the Ground*

Lars made his way to the ground and got out of his flight unit. The thunderous explosions of machines and fighting were everywhere. He looked up to see that the Will-O'the-Wisp was joined by the Isaribi and another ship. It had only two guns and multiple containers, "Must be a completed ship frame." Lars got down from the building he was on and looked around, he couldn't see anything yet, though. Smoke and soot had claimed practically all the eye could see. He drew his sword and began running around, until he got a call, "This is 16D of Squadron Delta, we're being hammered here! We need support!" she shouted frantically.

"Guess I'm going there first." stated Lars. He began making his way to the point where the call came from. A few machines stepped in his way, but they were dispatched by one swing of Lars' sword. When he moved on, he heard gun fire, judging from the sound, they were Jinzo rifles. When he got close enough, he saw the pinned soldiers and grabbed his own gun to shoot two of the Jinzo rifle soldiers down.

They quickly caught sight of him, but they were no match for his time manipulation, the rest of them were quickly cut down with ease. "Commander!" called 16D.

"Follow me! We're going to provide support with any team that needs it!" shouted Lars.

"Understood! Let's go!" she responded, the rest of the soldiers began running alongside him. Along the way, Lars saw a squadron that was struggling.

"Let's go!" he shouted, "Assault-vehicles, forward!" The twin-cannons began firing their shots, destroying the Jinzo and machine forces. The small victory was short lived as a Jinzo fighter came soaring through and tore up an assault-vehicle. The other soldiers took cover behind some rubble, Lars looked through and cut the fighter right in half with his smash-cannon. He then met up with the captain of the team.

"18G, can you and your squad still fight?" asked he.

"Yeah, we'll follow you now." 18G responded.

"Good, let's keep going!" commanded Lars. He and his combined squadrons began moving forward once again. 

"Analysis: about thirty percent of main enemy forces have been wiped out." said a Pod.

"Good, we're making progress." said an android, "Soon we'll make it to the capital!" the rest of the androids cheered.

The entire squadron began moving faster, dead bodies of androids, both YoRHa and Resistance, and Jinzo littered the ground. The three ships kept the aerial machine forces busy, eventually Lars and his soldiers ran into two soldiers. One was armored, the scanner was not. "Nines?" asked Lars.

"Lars!" said 9S happily, "We found you, we were a guerrilla unit providing support to everyone."

"Not anymore, here's the plan, we're going to destroy the Jinzo forces out here along with their machines. Then, we make our way to the capital and storm it, all the support we have is going to make it easier." said Lars. "Is that 2B with you?"

"Yeah, that's her, so we go around and destroy more Jinzo and machine forces?"

"Yeah, now let's go."

The party kept running into more and more enemy teams, but they were no match against the combined YoRHa squadrons' strength. But, then multiple machines surrounded them. Their heads extended and began emitting an E.M.P, paralyzing all the soldiers except for Lars, now the machines were free to close in. Lars began cutting them down, but his mask was being scrambled, "Shit..." he panted, "At this rate..." he couldn't finish his sentence when another soldier came out of no where with another squad and wiped out the E.M.P machines. 

"I appreciate the assist." said Lars.

"No problem." responded the soldier. 

"That voice, A2!"

"Bingo, it's me. Now come on, I know the plan."

"Good, then let's all keep going!" The rest of Lars' team began moving again. Multiple machine life forms showed up and began attacking, Lars' squad, were destroying more and more by the second, but something was wrong. 

*Fade*

"Nines, you notice anything?" asked Lars.

"Yeah, what happened to all the Jinzo?" he asked, "Did they all retreat?"

"We've pushed them back! We have a way to their capital now!" shouted and android near the back. As the other androids kept celebrating, Lars and 9S couldn't help but get a gut feeling that something was wrong.

Lars got several calls from many other soldiers asking if they had pushed the Jinzo back to their capital, or have they won? All of which Lars could not answer, for he was confused. "If the Jinzo had so much power, why would they retreat like this?"

"We should just move carefully. We'll keep heading towards the capital, but we just have to be cautious." said 9S.

*Gundam IBO Vulnerable Surface* 

"Yeah, let's keep go-" Lars was cut off when something enormous flew over everyone's heads. That thing was followed by others and the sound of giant stomps. All the soldiers looked over the buildings and saw giants. They stomped around, their lifeless stares fixed on the YoRHa soldiers. When they looked up, they saw dragons with Jinzo soldiers on their backs. Lars was now flooded with calls saying that they were under attack by creatures they've never seen before.

"C-commander! What do we do?" asked 18G.

"Fire!" shouted Lars, the assault vehicles began shooting at the giants and the dragons. The giants were shot down and didn't get back up again, but only more came, their blank stares sending chills down Lars' spine. The dragons began raining down fire onto the soldiers, killing many of them. The giants were also closer now, as they began attacking with their hands and feet.

Eventually, Lars shouted, "All forces! Pull back! Pull back!" the remaining soldiers he had began running. The dragons wasted no time in shooting fire down again. This time, Lars activated his force-field and covered the remaining soldiers from the fire. He then retaliated by blowing a dragon right out of the sky with a comet. The androids' Pods all began to provide covering fire for the fleeing soldiers. Many dragons fell, but just like the giants, many more took their place. "Will-O'the-Wisp, confirm statuses!" he shouted over the comms.

"Commander! We've lost about sixty-eight percent of our forces, the ships we have are managing to keep the dragons at bay, but it won't be long before their fighters and dragons break through." said 6O, much panic in her voice.

"Shit... This is all going to hell." Lars cursed quietly, but he regained his senses, "Nines, still have that headset?"

"Yeah, why?" asked he.

"Good, judging that the La Belle Femme is one of the Resistance's strongest ships, it should be in range to fire missiles and shell this area."

"Got it, we all have to find cover first!" said 9S.

"Into that building!' Lars commanded, the giants had large numbers, but were slow. The soldiers quickly got into a large building and made their way to the top. They found some rubble to stand behind as 9S put the headset on.

"La Belle Femme, do you read me?"

"Loud and clear, what do you need?"

"Missiles, can you fire a few on these co-ordinates?" 9S sent over the data via his Pod.

"We're in range, hang on." The comms went dark. A loud roar was then heard all across the battlefield, and several missiles fell on all the giant's locations. All of them were destroyed, the rest of them now without legs. Lars finished the rest of them off with his smash-cannon. "That takes care of the giants, now for the dragons." stated 9S.

"Not quite, look..." pointed a soldier.

*Fade*

As they all looked out from the destroyed building, the Jinzo forces were retreating once again. Lars received multiple calls from the remaining teams that the Jinzo and their monsters fled. 

"Wha- what's happening?" asked 2B. They all looked at the now barren field, the corpses of the giants began to disintegrate, leaving only piles of biological ash. 

"We all have to regroup." he contacted all remaining captains, "All available YoRHa troops, report. Squadrons and numbers."

"This is 51B of Squad Omicron, eight of us left."

"91G of Vanguard Squadron Alpha and Psi, 4B is dead, only nine of us left."

"10D, Elite Squadron Zeta, six."

"72G from Vanguard Squadron Upsilon. There's only me..."

"No way, that was one of our biggest squads..." said an android behind Lars.

"21B of Elite Squadron Omega, taken command after 79B was killed, sixteen."

Lars got nothing from all other YoRHa teams. "Damn it all, I only have twenty-seven out of the sixty-two I had, plus forty, only sixty-seven YoRHa ground soldiers left?" Lars slammed the wall out of frustration, completely destroying it. "All forces, move to the crater in the middle of the city, we'll discuss everything there. 0C out." he looked back at his soldiers, let's get to the crater.

*Moments Later*

The other squads showed up. Lars' team have been waiting for quite a while now, when the last team showed up, Lars looked around and counted sixty-seven. "What happened to out Resistance fighters?" asked he.

"They all retreated back to the Hotarubi and Isaribi." said 72G.

"Hotarubi?" asked Lars.

"The ship with the containers."

"Got it, anyway. This is all we have left. Anyone have any ideas?"

"We could fall back to the Will-O'the-Wisp, get in line with Command, and formulate a new plan once our forces recover." said 21O. Many of the soldiers began agreeing to this. Lars looked around and saw that most of them wanted this to happen.

"Alright, we'll get back to the Will-O'the-Wisp, and-"

"Alert: High seismic activity in the area." said Pod-153 suddenly. The ground began to violently shake beneath all the YoRHa soldiers. "Hypothesis: A structure of some kind is about to come out of the ground all YoRHa forces stand on. Proposal: Leave area immediately."

"We won't make it out in time!" shouted a soldier.

"We're all going to die!" screamed another.

Lars focused, four dark-arms shot out of his back and all combined into two larger arms. He picked up all the YoRHa soldiers and their assault-vehicles, then threw all of them as hard as he could. Lars then opened a portal in front of all them and designated it for the hangar of the Will-O'the-Wisp. All his troops entered the portal and crashed inside the ship's hangar.

Lars looked at the ground, it was shaking even more violently now, he quickly grew his wings and flew out of the crater as fast as he could. Finally, a giant white structure burst right out of the ground, three supports from the outskirts of the city arose at the same time. Lars looked at the enormous structure in awe. Everyone who got to the bridge did the same.

In the Bunker, the Commander and all the operators couldn't believe what they saw. But their time to stare was short lived as alarms all over the Bunker went off. "What's going on?!" asked the Commander.

"An incredibly large object is heading our way!" shouted an Operator, "My God! It's the Moon!" 

"Starboard thrusters to maximum! Evade!" screamed the Commander. Outside, the thrusters on the Bunkers began going at full blast. It was lucky the Moon had almost grazed the satellite, but even that would have proved fatal damage. "Just what is going on?" asked the Commander as she got back up, "Establish connection to 0C!"

Back on Earth, Lars got a call, "White? Did you see what happened?"

"I saw, the Moon was drawn over your location. We were almost struck, but we're all fine." she responded.

"That's good to hear, but I'm sorry to say we were pushed back, most of us died and need to be backed-up as soon as possible. Does the Bunker have any data on this... tower?"

"None."

Lars then got another call, "Nines? What is it?"

"Lars, we see a giant barrel on the top, it's some kind of cannon, and it can easily shoot into space, I think we even see someone on the top... hold on. That's Sral! He's raising his arm." said 9S.

_"Wait, the Moon is drawn to directly above us? This thing is a cannon? No... It can't be!"_ thought Lars, he got back to his conversation with White, "It's going to blow up the Moon!"

"WHAT?!" she nearly screamed. "I'm ordering an orbital strike now!"

"Will-O'the-Wisp, Isaribi, Hotarubi! Open fire on that structure, give it everything you got, it'll blow up the moon!" All three ships began firing everything it had at it, but the shots did nothing, rail-shots and missiles came from La Belle Femme, but no damage. An orbital shot came down, but still the tower was unharmed. Rumbling started as a giant shell shot out of the top of the tower. The three ships fired at it, but it remained on course... straight for the moon.

A portal opened in front of it, and opened in space. The shell hit the moon, and the entire thing exploded. Lars and everyone else saw it from Earth, the moon blowing up. In the Bunkers, force-fields were put up to protect against the space chunks. The truth and lie that White and Lars both protected, were now gone. According to the androids, their human masters, were all dead.

"AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO ALL ANDROIDS." said Sral's voice from the tower, "YOUR PRECIOUS HUMANS ARE NOW GONE."

"YOU HAVE LOST."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The giants look like adult grotesqueries from Drakengard 1. The dragons, I leave up to your imagination.


	29. Meaningless [C]ode

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The "humans" on the moon are gone. All the androids have more or less lost their morality. But, Lars needs to help them get it back, somehow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ummmm... I don't own any of the music. I feel as f I need to constantly say it for some reason.  
> Also, pretty short chapter.

Two days have passed since the events of the rise of the tower and the destruction of the moon. Many YoRHa and Resistance soldiers have lost their morale, for humanity, the species they had fought for, was gone. Quite a number of androids went AWOL but were not hunted after, White could understand why they left. The androids had no more reason to fight, some left, the others were only awaiting what would happen next.

Lars was in his room with A2 (who was still armored, just without the helmet) and 9S. "What do we do now?" asked 9S.

"Hell if I know, we were among the few who knew humans were actually gone before this." said Lars, he walked over to the window, "Now, to everyone else, the humans they fought for are all dead."

"Not like the Commander has done anything, according from what I heard, she just avoids everyone's questions." stated A2, "We can still go back to your world, but you need to gather the souls of the alternate versions of you. To do that, we need to have the strength to take on the entire Jinzo military, but none of the androids want to fight now that 'humanity' has gone 'extinct'."

The three of them just stood in silence for a while longer, but there was a sudden knock on the door. "Come right in..." said Lars.

When 9S opened the door, Devola stood there, "Bought you some food..." she said quietly.

"Thanks..." muttered Lars, his eyes remaining out the window.

"Still wondering on what to do?" she asked. At the same time, Popola came in.

"Devola? I think it'd be appropriate if we told him now..."

"Lars, I think you should sit down." said Devola. Lars grunted and sat on his bed.

"What is it you're going to tell me."

"We know humans have gone extinct, knew it for a very long time, in fact."

A2 and 9S looked up, minor shock in their faces, "You knew?" asked 9S, "How?"

"Our model, it goes way back. Back to project Gestalt." said Popola.

"The project that failed?" asked A2, "The one where a human's soul was separated from the body?"

"Yeah. That one..." sniffed Popola, "Because it failed, both the replicants and gestalts went extinct, the last of humanity was gone." 

"But when you told us that you were from another universe we felt a bit of hope. Maybe you could just bring the rest of us with you back somehow." said Devola, "I know it sounds selfish but-"

"That's it!" said Lars suddenly.

"What is it?" asked Popola.

"Bring all of us back! Lawsh told me that the humans in my world still need help. The 'humans' here are gone, so they've lost their reason to fight. But what if I _gave_ everyone a reason?" asked Lars ambitiously. 

"You don't mean..." said 9S.

"Yeah, I'm telling everyone about my world. If the humans here are dead, then we'll fight so that we can help humans in my world that need it. Androids were programmed to protect and serve the humans, so how about we protect and serve the humans we can get to if we keep fighting." Lars stopped a bit, "This'll be a half and half gamble, but I'm willing to put my bets into it."

"What if it doesn't work?" asked 9S.

"Then we will have truly lost."

"If you're going to put your bets into it, you need to know how to do it first." said a voice. The five looked toward the door and saw armored 2B standing there.

"2B?" asked 9S.

"Well? How are you going to make it happen? You  _do_ have a plan don't you?" asked she.

"I was thinking we take the Will-O'the-Wisp and connect to the Bunker's main brodcasting system to amplify the Will-O'the-Wisp's and broadcast my message." said Lars.

"That just might work." said A2, "We just need to get this approved."

"I'm on it." said Lars, he picked up his terminal and patched himself to the Commander.

"What is it?" she asked grimly.

"White, I have a plan. To get everyone's morale back."

"I'm listening."

"I need to patch myself into the Bunker's main broadcasting system from my ship, from there, I can amplify L.C.S and broadcast my entire message to every android on Earth."

"We don't have a lot of options, so I'll put my faith in you once more." she smiled a bit and chuckled, "Somehow, I know you can do it..." then, she hung up.

"We have the all clear." stated Lars, "You all ready for this? If this fails, we may have to take the Jinzo on by ourselves."

"We're behind, all the way." smiled 9S.

"Alright, let's get to the Will-O'the-Wisp." Lars and the other five walked out of the room and began making their way to the Will-O'the-Wisp. On the way, they saw androids just sitting around, some were asking questions to their superiors. Others were in despair, many YoRHa soldiers looked at Lars and his group. Some of them asked questions but Lars merely ignored them, he kept making his way to the Will-O'the-Wisp.

When he got to the bridge, the four operators looked a him, "What is it?" asked 21O, "Now is not the time for discussion."

"Have the ship take off immediately." said Lars suddenly.

"What's going on?" asked 18O, "Are we on another mission?"

"No."

"Then what is it?" asked 91O, "Would you mind telling us?"

"I'm getting everyone their morale back... No more questions, lift off."

All of the androids looked confused except 6O, who perked up and said, "C'mon people! Let's put our faith into Lars and help him out! I'm sure whatever he has planned is going to work!"

"Umm... Alright then..." said 91O. She put herself on the ship's communication systems, "All crew, fasten anything loose, under Commander 0C's orders, we are taking off." All across the ship, the androids seemed confused, but they proceeded to follow protocol regardless. "Everything is secured, sir. We are ready when you are."

Lars sat in the captain's seat. "Alright people, the fate of YoRHa lies on this little speech I'm going to do. So please, lend me your strength. Ascend." said he. The thrusters of the Will-O'the-Wisp powered themselves and went into full blast. The ship had taken flight once again. "Our destination is above the Bunker, can you four get us there?" asked Lars.

"Yes, sir. It should not be a problem." responded 21O. It didn't take that long for the ship to reach the designated point. "What now?"

"91O and 18O, can you two help connect the ship's communications to the Bunker's main broadcasting system?" They both responded with a "Yes, sir." at the same time then Lars looked at 21O and 6O, "Can you two get a camera? I need every android to see a human face." The both nodded and left the bridge for a short time, only to come back with the camera. They attached a few wires and pointed it at Lars.

"We are connected, once 21O begins recording, you can begin." said 18O.

"All of you, thank you for standing behind me on this." stated Lars, "Do it..." 

A small beep signaled the beginning. All across the Earth, in the entire command center in the Bunker, and other parts in the Bunker, Lars popped up from pods, terminals, and other screen. All the androids stopped what they were doing and just looked at him.

"A message to all androids. The destruction of Humanity was a devastating blow to all of us, I know many of you believed that it was especially to me. But it was not, for I am not from this world. I hail from another universe, and right now,  _my_ humanity is suffering and struggling to survive. It was torn by a war, a war that killed my parents and left me as an orphan. I wandered the streets not knowing what to do, but the being known as Adam sucked me into this universe and Eve took my memories. But thanks to YoRHa, I was able to make new ones and even regained my own memories."

"In a way, YoRHa and the Resistance became my family. And I'm not going to stand by and watch everyone suffer because the race they fight for is gone. You all forgot that  _I_ am still here, and as long as I live, humanity still lives on. I was told once by someone that you androids' main function is to protect and serve your human masters. The key word is 'protect' and my world needs it most. That is why, I am asking you all to keep fighting, not for me, but to claim vengeance for the humans lost and so that we may go on to protect the humans of my world."

"I cannot do this alone. The Jinzo must be destroyed, their leaders slain for us to accomplish this goal. I hope this has given all of you a new reason to fight and live on. So I am asking all of you, not as a master, not as your superior officer, but as a fellow comrade, lend me your strength." Lars saluted, "Glory! To Mankind!" he shouted.

The other nine all saluted as well, "Glory! To Mankind!" they shouted.

For a moment all the androids stayed silent. On Earth, the Resistance androids were dumb-founded and didn't know what to say. On the Galapagos, Storm looked back from the giant screen at his men, "Well... That's a damn good reason for me! C'MON PEOPLE!! WHO'S WITH ME AND THE COMMANDER?!!" a single android raised his fist.

"I'm with ya, boss!" he shouted. Slowly, more and more androids started agreeing, eventually they all saluted and shouted, "Glory! To Mankind!".

Over at the Resistance camp, Anemone looked at her people, "I'm with Lars! We'e not all going to let him fight alone are we? Who's with me! Glory! To Mankind!" she shouted.

"Glory! To Mankind!" the troops shouted back as they all raised their fists in the air.

All around the Earth, androids started cheering, saying that they would back Lars and keep fighting. Whether they were YoRHa soldiers, Resistance troops, or deserters, they began cheering and shouting "Glory to mankind", in the Bunker, more and more androids began getting their morale back and started cheering Lars on and saluted. In the ship, they started getting multiple messages saying they were with Lars all the way, "Commander! It's working!" said 6O happily.

"Fellow soldiers! Shed your meaningless code, and continue to fight! Say it with me!" even though Lars could not here it, but he knew the one's who agreed would. He put his left hand over his chest, whilst he did, everyone else listening did as well "GLORY! TO MANKIND!" and as he said this, those behind him as well. He had done it, the camera was shut off and Lars fell to his knees.

"Lars you did it!" exclaimed Popola.

"Yeah! I knew you could do it, buddy!" shouted 9S, he and A2 began helping him up.

"You guys..." said Lars weakly, tears of joy coming down his eyes, "All of you, thanks..."

"No need to thank us!" said 6O.

"We're with you one hundred percent." said 21O.

"And don't you forget it!" said A2, she pet Lars on the head as everyone else crowded him and lifted him. 

"Captain, listen here." said 18O happily, she let through all the messages and calls to the bridge coming form other parts of the ship. They were all filled with cheers thanking Lars and cheering him on. 

In the Bunker, the Commander sighed in relief, "Lars... You did well." Down on Earth all androids were celebrating, even the androids who deserted were all coming back, but none of them got in trouble. 

Lars had done it, YoRHa had regained the strength it once had. "Sral..." said Lars to himself

 

"You haven't won... Now, _my_ war begins..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I include details that are likely unnecessary. I'll try and stop. Plus, I hope the speech was good.  
> I know, I put the title in the story ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


	30. Protect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> YoRHa has gotten it's morality back, but that also means the Jinzo will fight harder than ever. That also means that they will unleash one of their strongest. Lars and A2 will battle one of the three once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is back to their original outfits. I'm on and off. Sorry about that, enjoy the chapter.  
> (Looks at chapter number) ... Wait, hold on... THIRTY?! **** YEAH!!  
> Thanks for making it this far! It means a lot to me and I hope you enjoy.

Two days passed since YoRHa and the Resistance started their fight again. The Jinzo have put a giant field around their capital and the surrounding land, making them nearly invincible to YoRHa operations and assaults. But already, battles are being fought and won by the androids. All thanks to Lars. 

*Inside of the Will-O'the-Wisp*

"Keep firing!" shouted Lars. He was plugged into the Will-O'the-Wisp's systems via the tendrils. 

"Commander, we have taken out ninety-seven percent of the Jinzo's fortress defenses." said an android leading the flight units.

"Good, make sure all are wiped out. We will keep shelling them." responded Lars.

"Understood." She cut off only to come back on, "I stand corrected, we have just destroyed all enemy forces."

"Excellent, take the fortress and smoke out any Jinzo. Take no prisoners..." he almost yawned.

"Commander?"

"Nothing. Carry on."

"Yes, sir."

Lars disconnected himself from the chair, "Can you four take things from here?" he asked.

"Can do." said 18O. Lars gave her a thumbs up and left the bridge. He looked at his terminal and saw that another Jinzo fortress was taken moments ago, seeing that Lars sent a message to Command telling them that the assault against Jinzo defense fortresses were complete success. Whilst this was happening, flight unit and assault-vehicles were picked up by the ship. 

*Transition to the hangar*

"You were pretty reckless out there, A2." said an operator, "But your flight unit isn't  _too_ badly damaged, so we should be able to repair it with little to no difficulty."

"Thanks, I'm counting on you." responded A2. She turned to leave the hangar but ran into 2B and 9S instead. "Oh. Hey."

"Hey, A2." said 9S, "You going to visit Lars?" asked he.

"Yeah, you two wanna come?"

"Sorry, we can't. Gotta help with repairs, 2B needs maintenance, say hi for us would you?" said 9S, he waved goodbye and so did 2B as she walked to the med-bay. A2 began walking through the ship, until she collided with Lars, sending him to the ground. "Lars!" she shouted, "I'm sorry! You alright?" 

"Yeah..." Lars said weakly, "I'm fine..." he got back up only to receive a kiss on the cheek by A2, "Huh?".

"That's my way of apologizing to you." stated A2 with a small smile.

"Okay..." Lars looked A2, "You still have short hair..." he stated.

A2 touched her hair, "Yeah gonna have to wait for it to grow back."

"You can grow your hair back? Neat..."

"Yup, it wasn't always long, anyway, you alright? You sound a bit off."

"Analysis: YoRHa Commander has not slept in one-hundred and twenty hours or five days." stated his mask.

"Lars... You need to sleep. It's not good for your body." scolded A2.

"I'll sleep after this day is done..." Lars yawned, "But right now, there's no time..." he leaned forward to much and fell into A2's arms, "S-sorry..."

"You  _need_ sleep. Come on, off to bed. Right now." 

"I-" Suddenly, there was a call from the bridge. 

"Commander, we have an encrypted message, come to the bridge immediately." said 91O.

"No time..." muttered Lars. He started heading for the bridge and A2 followed. When he got there, the operators pulled it up on the frontal screen, it was comprised of ones and zeros. "Binary?" asked Lars, "See if you can decode it."

"Decoding, sir." stated 18O, "Alright, I did it." They all looked at the screen again."

"Lars, I have two friends of yours." a picture came up of both Popola and Devola, both of them were knocked out and tied up, "If you want them back alive, then you better get over here within ten minutes. Bring one friend with you, anymore, and they both die." it read. A set of co-ordinates was also with the message. 

"I've analyzed the co-ordinates, they're in a field in what used to be Ireland." said 6O. "We should-"

"No... The Will-O'the-Wisp can't get there fast enough. It's already been five minutes since this message was sent right?" said Lars.

"That is correct. Wait... Don't tell me you're going to-"

"It's the only way. The Will-O'the-Wisp will only start coming only when I give the order. A2, I'll need your help. You up for it?" 

"You have to ask?" A2 responded.

"Good, let's do this. We haven't a lot of time." said Lars. He opened a portal near the location and he and A2 walked through it. 

The wind blew with much strength. An ancient medieval castle stood near by, and sheep were everywhere. The grass and trees were greener than anything else, the sky covered with clouds, but the sun's rays rained down through openings, creating a radiant warmth. But now was not the time to stare at any of the natural beauties. "We are near and running out of time, let's go." said Lars.

"Right behind you." responded A2. They ran for a short while until they saw the red-headed twins. They were tied to a tree, a person clad in a-symmetrical armor could be seen, he pointed a bow at them, but looked at A2 and Lars and lowered his weapon. He gave them a twisted, evil smile. One of pure sadistic nature and insanity, it was none other than Kuro.

*Wish in the Dark*

"Ah... and here I thought you were going to not come..." he giggled, "How stupid of me... I should've expected you would. Anyway..." he broke apart his bow to make two sickles, "LET'S PLAY!!" 

He started laughing as he lunged forward and tried to strike Lars, who was caught off guard. But he was stopped by A2, who swung her sword-mace upward and cut into Kuro's torso, sending him flying up. She then jumped and hit him with the sword-mace, sending him flying. As she got down, Kuro fell down to the ground, shaking the Earth, but he got up like it was nothing.

Now, Lars drew his sword and dashed forward along A2, "Pincer attack!" he shouted.

"Roger!"

They both went on different sides, dodging the arrows fired from Kuro's sparrow. When they got close enough, he broke them into sickles again and blocked both of their attacks. Lars bought his sword up and tried to strike Kuro, but he kicked Lars in the stomach first, stunning him. He then broke his struggle with A2 with a claw that came from an opening in his elbow and hit her away. Then he faced towards Lars and slashed him twice. Lars coughed out some blood and looked up to see Kuro about to kill him.

"This is the end!" he screamed.

"No it's not!" Lars drew his heavy sword and slashed Kuro across the chest. Kuro looked at his wound and smiled. He ran toward Lars again, but this time, Lars sent a shadow of himself forward and hit Kuro. Lars then manifested a dark-arm and grabbed Kuro. With a fierce roar, he flung Kuro as hard as he could and fired the smash-cannon at his direction.

The following explosion's shock-wave made everything blow in the wind. Lars and A2 looked and saw multiple energy arrows coming out of the smoke, coming their way. Lars put his force-field up and blocked all of them. Kuro flew through the smoke and kept shooting more arrows. A2 grabbed Lars' gun and shot Kuro many times. This broke Kuro away from his path and he plummeted to the ground.

"You... you're fairing this well without your mask?" he chuckled, "I'm impressed, Lars."

Lars did not respond, he only charged forward and began trading strikes with Kuro. Lars' attacks were being blocked by Kuro's two sickles. Kuro would strike back whenever he could, his attacks were careless and crude, but incredibly fast. Lars stepped forward and managed to slash him with his type-4O sword, forcing Kuro back. He started to fly once again, but A2 intercepted him with her type-4O sword in one hand and the grey long-sword in the other.

A2 tried to slice into Kuro's neck, but her sword was stopped by his arm. He punched her away, leaving the sword half-way in his arm. He took it out and threw it aside. A2 still had her type-4O, and ran forward again, as did Lars. They both swung their blades with intention to bisect him, but Kuro jumped up and shot Lars in the abdomen with an energy arrow. A cry of pain came from Lars as he was slashed four more times by Kuro.

Whilst Lars was stunned, A2 began rushing towards Kuro to try and stab him. But he jumped behind Lars and A2 stopped right before her sword pierced Lars' heart. "Once again, you falter because of 'love', something you androids can't feel." mocked Kuro. He jumped over her.

"Shut up!" yelled A2, she bought up her type-4O blade and blocked his strikes. She swung it down on his location, but he evaded before the blade hit him. Lars got back up and started swinging at Kuro, but his attacks were now sluggish and weaker. He swung again, but his blade was knocked right out of his hand and before he could draw another one of his swords, he was punched by a robotic arm protruding out of Kuro's left elbow.

"W-what?" asked Lars.

"See these little beauties?" asked Kuro, another arm protruded form his right elbow and two more came from his back and legs, "I've been through so many augmentations, I'M HARDLY EVEN HUMAN ANYMORE!!" he screamed as he charged forward to Lars. But A2 jumped in front of his way and began to clash with him. She parried his sickles with her sword and kept defending. A2 had her chances to go on the offensive, but she squandered her chances because if she were to attack, there was a risk that she or Kuro would hit Lars.

When she finally was about to cut him, the arms from his limbs and back all grabbed her limbs and held her in place. "NOW YOU DIE!!" Kuro screamed, he was about to slash A2, but Lars jumped in the way and took the blows, his mask now on. He tackled Kuro and began forcing him back with his two remaining swords, their dual-wielding clashed with each other. Kuro merely started laughing again and began forcing Lars back once again, he knocked Lars' heavy sword out of his hand and threw him with one of his mechanical arms.

Lars sprouted his wings to stop his descent and flew towards Kuro again, this time he threw a few dark-lances and seven flames. Kuro hit the lances aside and evaded the flames. He flew up as well to meet Lars, they both flew and clashed in the air. Lars was getting more and more tired and weaker, the sleep deprivation was really starting to catch up with him. Alas, he was knocked out of the air and plummeted to the ground. The impact was enormous, Kuro descended quickly to kill Lars, but Lars was grabbed by A2 just in time before Kuro hit.

She set Lars down and swung her head around to see Kuro bringing his sickle down. A2 had no time to block and if she dodged, Lars would be killed. So she stood and let the sickle sink into her shoulder, it went deep, but her arm was not severed, it was not just wounded. Kuro jumped back as A2 attacked, "A2... Your arm..." said Lars weakly.

"I'll be fine. Stay here, you hear me?" said she. Before Lars could respond, A2 rushed forward and began attacking Kuro, she managed to land a hard, deep cut on him. To this, he moaned, not out of pain, of pleasure.

"That felt real nice..." he giggled, "Do it again..." A2 ran up and slashed him again and again, but with no affect. He eventually just hit her back with his own magic, a wave of sound. A2 was sent flying back into the nearby castle. "Well, she shouldn't get up for a while." Kuro was going to shoot Lars this time. But someone covered Lars before the arrows hit.

It was A2, she panted as the arrows in her back disappeared. "A2... why?" asked Lars.

"Isn't it obvious? He was going to kill you. I swore to protect you, no matter what..." A2 stood back up to face Kuro, "That's not going to change. Ever..." 

*Fade*

"Isn't that sweet?" laughed Kuro, "You know what'd be sweeter? ME KILLING THE BOTH OF YOU!" he laughed as he charged forward, but A2 grabbed Lars and evaded.

"Stop moving..." growled Kuro. 

A2 took out the locket that Lars gave her a few days ago and stared at it, "This power I have. It's the power to protect, something I couldn't do for you guys." A2 said, she looked up into the sky, "So... I'll atone, by protecting someone else I care about. I'm sorry, you guys... If I end up dying in this fight. I'll apologize properly then..."

*Dead or Alive (Kamen Rider Faiz)*

"What? Have you started talking to imaginary people now? Cute...  _Real  cute..._ NOW DIE!!" shrieked her enemy whilst he began sprinting at her.

A2 took the locket her hand and crushed the gem that was inside. Red energy exploded everywhere, launching Kuro back. When it cleared, A2 stood there, the energy flowed all around her. She looked at her hands and felt the strength and urge to fight rumble deep within her. A2 screamed into the air, not one of pain or sorrow. One of pure ferocity, energy, and strength. A red flame-like glow appeared on her right eye as she ran forward to melee Kuro. He was sent flying back with a loud grunt and flew right through the ancient castle, demolishing what was left of it.

Lars stared on in awe. Was this truly the power of the red locket? Judging from the red energy, it was some how connected to A2's berserk mode, like she was destined to have it. Kuro started to get back up from all the rubble. He cursed and began firing his arrows at A2, she began dodging all of them with speed that could only be matched by the speed of sound. Shock-waves were sent all over the battlefield as she moved through it. A2 met Kuro head on with the sword-mace, "How did you get so strong?!!" asked Kuro.

A2 did not say a word, she only growled and smiled. She then let out a human beast-like roar and slammed her knee into Kuro's side, and cut him across his neck. "This power..." she growled happily, "This... strength... make A2... happy!" she shouted. Her mind was the more-or-less equivalent to a wild animal now, she roared and charged forward holding a her type-4O lance. She threw it at Kuro and he deflected it into the air, A2 kick-flipped off of him and grabbed the lance, the red flame in her right eye once again and she thrusted down. Kuro managed to evade, but nor completely, he looked and saw that his left leg was missing, revealing muscle, tendons, circuitry, and metal . 

"Big deal!" yelled Kuro. The cybernetic arm that came from his other leg detached and attached itself back onto his stump, "Don't care if you destroyed one of me more organic limbs! Don't need it!" he ran toward A2 as they both collided once again. A2 thrusted her 4O sword forward and Kuro dodged it, he slashed A2 across her leg in retaliation. Now, both of them had smiles on their faces, A2's was just one of battle-lust whilst Kuro's was insanity. With a swing of her 4O blade, A2 sent Kuro flying into a mountain, destroying it. A2 jumped back over to Lars and looked at him.

"Borrow arm?" asked she.

"What do you mean?" responded Lars.

"Analysis: YoRHa unit 0C's arm can be switched to gauntlet mode and can be used by other androids." stated the mask.

"Oh, yeah..." Lars lifted his arm, "Switch to gauntlet mode." he said. Air started hissing from it and it came right off. The internal mechanisms of the arm began to retract, making it hollow. A2 grabbed the gauntlet and pushed it on, the arm began glowing, signaling that it was attached. 

"A2 give Lars thanks..." smiled A2.

"Yeah, you're welcome..." Lars looked past A2, "Look's like he's back. Get him!" shouted Lars.

A2 looked back at the enraged Kuro, his right eye glowed red. The flame on her right eye ignited again, she and Kuro charged at the same time, their heads smashed into each other. The both of them started moving at hyper speeds, only glimpses of the both of them could be seen, but the sound of their weapons clashing with each other could be heard everywhere. Kuro put his sickles together and began shooting arrows at A2. She saw right through this and activated the force-field. As the arrows bounced off, Kuro jumped forward and caught A2 by surprise. 

He went right through the force-field and cut the part that was generating the barrier. The field shut off and Kuro slashed A2 several times before kicking her into the ground and rained down more arrows down in where she landed. Out of the dust, a giant laser was fired, engulfing Kuro completely. When the dust cleared, A2 stood there, several arrows all over her body. She looked up back at Kuro, his body now all charred, half of the skin and hair on his head was missing, revealing the robotic skull he had. Most of his body armor was also gone, along with most of his skin, the metallic skeleton underneath.

"Normally I enjoy pain... BUT THIS IS-!" A2 appeared in front of him.

"Talk... too much!" she shouted. She swung down the gauntlet on his head and sent him down to the ground. Equipping her combat bracers, she dropped down on Kuro and began pummeling him deeper and deeper into the ground.

"Those arrows, should've cut your circuits! HOW?!" screamed Kuro.

A2 did not answer, she kept beating him until he managed to throw her off with the extra arms he had. He broke the sparrow in two and charged forward. He began countering A2's attacks and struck back when he could. She took the hits and also parried, striking back whenever she had the chance. A2 was knocked back, her grip on her sword lost. Kuro jumped and swiped the blade before she could grab it. He rushed forward and impaled A2 through her side. "A2!" screamed Lars.

"I... okay!" grunted A2. The grey sword she lost earlier materialized in her hand, "Want play? FINE!" she screamed. A2 proceeded to dig the sword straight into Kuro's left eye, a scream of pain came from him as he let go of her sword. A2 pulled out the sword in her body. She took on a stance of dual-wielding. She charged as Kuro picked both of his weapons up again to parry her attacks. With much of his armor gone, one of his eyes and multiple of his extra arms missing, A2 finally had a huge advantage.

"DAMN YOU!!" shrieked Kuro. His attacks were more sloppy and sluggish than ever. His attacks were parried by A2, she eventually kicked him back. Suddenly, a strange sensation came across her head.

"Wha-!" asked A2, the flame in her eye had disappeared, but some energy still remained, "Time is running out, huh?" She dashed forward and smashed her elbow into his nose-bridge, making hims tumble backward. "In that case, I'll just do this!!" she shouted. A2 went into her actual berserk mode to give herself a bigger boost again. But instead of the red energy exploding everywhere, it focused into her left leg. Then all of the energy in her leg exploded outward, she threw aside both of her blades and jumped up high into the air. With all the energy focused into her left leg, it slammed right into Kuro's chest, absolutely annihilating most of him.

The small fraction of his skeleton that was left went flying. And there he lay, motionless.  A2 landed on the ground, she looked back at him and began walking away from him as the rest of him exploded. Kuro was destroyed, a small piece of his skull flew over and landed next to A2. She looked as the small glow of his red eye still pulsed for a moment, then it slowly shut off. "He's dead." sighed A2, "Feels like I just killed Lars..." she said, "But I didn't, he's safe now." she began walking back to Lars. 

*Fade*

While she walked back, felt something in her pocket. She took out the lump to reveal that her locket had turned into a gold pocket-watch, roman numerals adorned the inside, except the numeral of one was now missing. 

 _"Your locket was a special one."_ said a voice in her head.

"Who?" asked A2.

 _"Oh, I'm God. Y'know the one that Lars was talking about, anyway your locket can be used eleven more times.The more you use it, the less of a wild animal you become, spend them wisely. Oh, and before I go, your old friends."_   

"What about them?"

 _"They said you don't need to apologize to them. All they want you to do now, is protect Lars. If you're happy, they're happy they said."_ then, the voice was gone.

A tear came down A2's face. "You guys... thanks." she jogged over to Lars, his mask now off. "Where are Devola and Popola?" she asked.

"I... transported them out of here during the final moments of the fight, they should be at the Resistance camp. As for us... the Will-O'the-Wisp... it's on it's way..." with those last words, Lars had finally gone to sleep. His soft snoring bought a bit of peace to A2, it began raining and she looked up into the air. She carried Lars in her arms over to the ruins of the ruined castle. She managed to find a small undamaged room and sat Lars down.

"Mask, raise a beacon, let the Will-O'the-Wisp know we're here." said she quietly. 

"Understood. What will you do now?" asked the mask.

"Stay with him of course..." A2 sat next to Lars, she let his head lean on her right shoulder, then she went to sleep.

*Moments later*

2B and 9S along with other androids drew near the destroyed castle, when they got to that small room they saw A2 and Lars sleeping peacefully. "Commander?" asked one of the androids. A2 slowly opened up her eyes and put her finger over her lips, signalling them to be quite. 

"Grab his gear from around the field." said A2.

A couple scanners nodded and left the room. A2 picked Lars up and carried him in her arms into a shuttle. Finally, they returned to the ship. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A2 now apparently has a rider kick. Sweet...


	31. Abyss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word is that the machines and the Jinzo are doing something underwater. Will an underwater battle even be possible for the YoRHa forces?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess I made it really obvious that this chapter is an underwater one.

"How long has he been sleeping again?" said a voice outside of the room.

"About sixteen hours now, can't really blame him when he hasn't slept for, what? Five days?" responded another.

"Well, we should wake him up soon, too much sleep is bad." said a third voice.

"Like now?" 

"Yeah."

The three walked into Lars' room, revealing themselves to be 2B, 9S, and A2. Lars was still sound asleep in his bed, all cleaned up and changed. A2 gently put her hand on Lars' shoulder and began to shake him awake, his eyes slowly opened and he looked the three of them. He sat up and stretched with a yawn and turned to face them. "Oh, hey guys. What's up?"

"Just wanted to wake you, you've been asleep for sixteen hours." stated 9S.

"Well, that was the best sixteen hours of sleep I've ever had then." he looked at himself and saw he was in his pajamas, "Did I get changed?"

"And cleaned." 9S added, "Don't worry, 19H and her team was the one who did everything, all your wounds should be pretty healed as well."

Lars looked into his shirt and saw that his wounds were all healed nicely, only minor scars remained. Lars was about to speak again when he was interrupted by an announcement, "2B and 9S, please come to the bridge please." said 18O.

"We should go see what is happening." said 2B, "We'll talk later, come on, 9S." 2B waved goodbye to Lars and 9S followed, leaving only A2 and Lars.

"Lars, there's something I want to tell you." said she.

"Go ahead." responded Lars.

"I spoke with God..."

"You did? What was he like?" 

"Well, for starters, he sounds a lot more laid back than I ever would have thought. When you talked about him, I always imagined someone with a deep and calming voice. He told me that my locket was re-usable." A2 took out the pocket watch she had. "I can use it eleven more times."

"That's... amazing. My super-nova lockets can only be used once each." 

"One more thing." 

"What is it?"

"He told me about my friends. You know how I was talking about apologizing to some people?" Lars nodded, "Well, long ago, I had friends that were very precious to me. They all died, and I left YoRHa. But I found you, and over time decided to protect you. I apologized for not being able to protect them, but they forgave me. Told me that as long as I was protecting you, they were happy that I could find my happiness."

"Well, I suppose I should be happy too." he flashed a big smile at A2, "Thanks for protecting me, A2." Lars said happily.

A2 said nothing and only smiled back. "And I always will..." There was a short moment of silence before A2 broke it. "You better get changed back,  _commander_." 

"You're gonna call me that?" asked Lars, "Fine, I will. Meet me at the bridge, I want to see what's going on."

A2 left the room and Lars went to go change and wash up. After he was finished, he was about to head out when 19H came in with his bag. "Your nutrition bricks and water containers are repaired." she turned to leave but paused and looked back, "You  _are_ eating properly, right?"

"Yup." said Lars, "Thanks, doc."

"Not a problem." she left the room and Lars left as well, while eating some of his rations. 

He walked for a short time until he got to the bridge and saw the other seven there, the Commander's face was on the bridge's main screen. "White?" asked he.

"Good, you're finally here." she said, "We will now begin mission briefing. Lars, a high amount of radiation and activity have been coming from this location from the sea." A map showed up and showed and a red dot showed up right in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. "The Jinzo could be building something new, meet up with the Resistance ship Hotarubi, they will provide you and your troops with equipment for a battle underwater."

"Wait, underwater?" asked 9S, "Won't we sink and get crushed by the pressure? Plus you said something about radiation, that'll scramble our sensors and systems, won't it?"

"The Resistance has that covered, ever since we took the factory-city in the Galapagos, we've managed to make a variety of technology and gear from that unfinished ship frame and other resources we found." a schematic showed up on the screen, it seemed like a unit that would attach to the body with two booster like things protruding out of each side. "This is one of many variants of the A.S.P, Abyss Skirmish Pack. Each variant comes equipped with a different kind of ranged arm, harpoon guns, rail cannons, spread-shot cannon, the list goes on. All of your forces will also be equipped with anti-radiation suits. Your mission is to take these and make sure you put an end to whatever the Jinzo and Machine life-forms are doing. Good hunting, Bunker out." the screen shut off.

"Well, alright. Let's get to the co-ordinates." announced Lars.

The operators responded with a "yes sir" and proceeded to head to the destination. Lars looked at his terminal and looked at the battle types. Apparently, the Will-O'the-Wisp was made for practically any type of battle. Whether it be under the ocean, in the depths of space, or the skies. "6O." called Lars.

"Yeah?" she responded.

"Take the helm, I'm going to get a shuttle ready for boarding the Hotarubi." 

"Yes, sir." 6O got out of her chair and sat in the captain's seat.

"The Will-O'the-Wisp can be amphibious, think you all can notify the gunner crews to provide us fire support while underwater?" 

"I will notify the gunner crew to do that." stated 91O.

"Good, I will see you all later." said Lars as he left the bridge. As he was walking to the hangar, he ran into the other three. "Mask, how many gunner types do we have?"

"Thirty available units, you have received ten more in the Will-O'the-Wisp's last deployment."

"Good."

"Analysis: YoRHa Commander can also switch to gunner type. The spine and modules located on the neck will allow so."

"Wait, really?"

"Affirmative, this unit must be equipped for said type switch to happen."

"Alright, how does it work?"

"Being a gunner type will allow for better eye focusing and steadier hands, and of course recoil reduction." said 9S suddenly.

"Oh hey. Thanks for the tip. Question, do you guys think you can participate in this fight?" asked Lars.

"Probably not. A2 and I are basically close combat only types. 9S probably will only be able to hack. That is unless we get some kind of blade that'll swing easier underwater. Other than that, we really aren't that good with ranged arms." said 2B.

"That's a shame, well in any case, maybe the Resistance will have some kind of underwater vehicle or sword. Anyway, I have to prepare a shuttle, we'll be arriving at the rendezvous point soon." Lars walked to the hangar and began prepping a shuttle. Whilst he did this, 2B and A2 went out to gather the gunners. Finally, they all met at the hangar with the shuttle. 

"Commander, we have arrived at the point, Hotarubi is awaiting your arrival." said 21O over the speaker.

"Load the shuttle onto the catapult and open the hatch door, no need for a combat launch." Lars told the operator. The shuttle quickly flew over to the Hotarubi's hangar. Two Resistance soldiers were signalling where to land, several crates could be seen, there was definitely more than fifty, Lars assumed that those contained their packs. Once the soldiers got out, a Resistance officer came out.

"My name is Grimm, the commander of the Hotarubi. Is this your fighting force, commander?" asked he.

"Yup." responded Lars.

"Alright, these are the A.S.P's." He pointed to the crates, "Within the crates are the guns as well. We have harpoon shooters, rail-guns, spread shots, focus shots, and repeaters. Any close range fighters?"

"Only two. I also need you to help 9S, he's a scanner."

"Alright, we have these rocket powered buster-swords, they'll function underwater just fine. It'll be like swinging a sword, along with the booster, you're basically fighting normally. We also have anti-radiation suits, put them on, and you won't get scrambled. As for you." He pointed at 9S, "We have this modified Jinzo machine. It's an exo-suit that can fight underwater, armed with torpedoes, missiles, a force-field on it's arm, and a rail-cannon on it's shoulder."

Lars and his troops all put the gear on, 9S got into the machine, all their suit's lights turned on, signalling that they were active. Along with the suits, they had helmets. As everyone put their Lars attached re-breathers to his mask and put it on. The two tendrils inserted into his neck, "Switch to Gunner type." said he.

"Converting." responded his mask. The mask's eyes turned from blue to deep violet color, Lars felt different, his arms felt steadier, and his reaction sensitivity was also raised. He then put on his A.S.P, it was a bit above his waist on his lower back, he also armed himself with a repeater. Before he went, he turned to to Grimm.

"One more question." said Lars.

"What is it?" asked Grimm.

"Can your ship go underwater?"

"No, the Hotarubi isn't really a ship made for combat, this ship is more of a support and carrier. If the Isaribi were here, it can help, but I'm afraid only your ship will have to do."

"Alright, then." Lars contacted 6O, "6O, begin submerging."

"Understood." she responded. Outside the hangar, the Will-O'the-Wisp could be seen starting to go into the water.

Grimm grabbed his head-set microphone, "Get the ship near the water." said he. The Hotarubi began to descend a bit, they drew more and more near the water, until finally, they were only a few meters above the ocean. 

"Alright, let's go!" shouted Lars. He and the rest of his soldiers jumped off the ship's container and began to plummet to the ocean. Their packs activated and braced their landing in the water just a bit, whilst 9S practically sank. They were all in the same area, "All units, report in." 

"This is squad one, all units here." said a gunner.

"Squad two, all present."

"All of Squad three is with you, sir."

"Good, that's all of us." said A2.

"Then, commencing mission, Will-O'the-Wisp, pay close attention to radiation levels, and follow behind us."

"Affirmative." said 18O. The ship began following the thirty-four soldiers deeper into the water. It was starting to get harder to see as they descended into the abyss. Lars looked around to see only lights of their suits, weapons, and helmets. Plus the exo-suit and the ship that followed them.

In the ship, rapid beeping started up. "Three heat sources approaching! About ninety feet away!" shouted 91O.

"All troops! Take evasive action!" 6O practically screamed over the communications. 

Lars and the other soldiers all dodged the incoming objects, which turned out to be torpedoes. But since they dodged, the three projectiles went right past them and hit the ship. The following shock-waves threw the soldiers around a bit before they got back to their normal positions. The ship was only scratched and Lars looked from where those torpedoes came from and saw three of the exo-suits that 9S was wearing. 

*EFSF ost (Gundam Unicorn)*

"Found them!" shouted Lars, "All forces attack! Will-O'the-Wisp, provide support fire! Squads one, two, and three, split up and attack in formations! 2B, A2, 9S, follow me!"

"Yes, sir!" all of them shouted. Thirty of the troops went in different directions and began attacking the Jinzo exo-suits. Lars and the other three began fighting as well. Lars looked on to see more Jinzo forces arriving, this time, with submarines. Lars pointed his repeater-cannon and began firing wave upon wave of energy bullets through the water, hitting several Jinzo troops and smaller submarines. 2B and A2 both went ahead and started slashing through multiple submarines. 9S began firing rail shots and torpedoes at many of the troops.

In other parts of the water, YoRHa troops were easily destroying Jinzo forces. With their better mobility and weaponry. "Launch all missiles!" shouted an android. Ports from the wings of each of the android's packs opened and fired several missiles in the Jinzo directions, much of the Jinzo forces were annihilated. One android fired her rail-cannon right through a submarine, instantly destroying it. Harpoons were fired, tearing through any and all Jinzo forces they touched.

"Damn androids! We won't let you destroy the city that we-" the Jinzo soldier was cut off when he was cut in half  by A2.

"City?" asked she. She blocked a claw from a Jinzo suit and cut it in two. "Lars, I think they may be building a city." she said.

"A city?" asked Lars as he dodged a torpedo, as he started shooting the Jinzo to death, he thought to himself,  _"What could the Jinzo possibly do with a city down at the ocean?"_ he then got an idea, "All troops, make sure you capture at least one Jinzo soldier, destroy the rest of the troops." he ordered.

A lazer came his way, but 9S came up and blocked it. "You alright?" asked he.

"Yeah, what was that?" asked Lars. In the water, he could see machine life-forms were coming up. They were the type that had longer arms and legs, their right arms were guns, on their backs were their packs for moving around. "Machines..." said Lars to himself. He fired several missiles at them, destroying a few of them. Out of the bubbles, damaged and undamaged machines came out, persistent to the end. Lars pointed his left arm and fired the smash-cannon, destroying their remaining numbers. The Jinzo that remained were giving it their all. But alas, their suits were really no match for the speed and mobility of the A.S.P's. It really was an unfair fight, Jinzo troops getting shot down and drown in the water that flowed into their suits, torn apart by the rail shots, energy bullets and harpoons, and getting cut up by A2 and/or 2B.

The Will-O'the-Wisp continued it's relentless attacks, it fired torpedoes, missiles, and even special shells for underwater skirmishes. Lars evaded a Jinzo claw and got behind the soldier, he then shot him full of holes. Eventually, the remaining Jinzo troops began to flee. Lars ordered 2B to go and cut off a soldier's propelling system. 2B dove after her at full speed and chopped off a small backpack like thing. She then held on to the woman's suit and swam up to rejoin the others. "I got her." said she.

*Fade*

Lars wasted no time and pointed his gun right at hostage. "Alright, spill it. What are you building in the ocean?"

"I-I don;t know what you're talking about!" she shouted back.

"Gonna be like that, eh?" asked Lars, "Fine, we can do this the hard way."

"Go to hell!" she spat.

"You... watch what yous say to him!" yelled a soldier.

"No, no, it's quite fine." said Lars calmly. The female soldier was shaking, he could tell. "Fine. If you won't tell me, then I'll just make you." In a blink of an eye, grabbed the visor of her suit and applied a bit of pressure. Sure enough, the helmet had a quite large crack in it. Water began to fill her suit, "Y'know, I  _could_ save you,  _only_ if you tell me what the city is for."

The woman didn't respond. But her expression said it all, she was in complete horror. Her eyes might as well say, "Oh God, please help me. I don't wanna drown." Until, she finally cracked, "ALRIGHT!! I'LL TELL YOU! JUST DON'T LET ME DROWN!!!" she screamed.

"That's better." said Lars. He applied some staunching gel to the crack. "That should hold, 'kay, now please tell us."

"Alright, the city here is supposed to be a replacement for the one we lost. The one near your Resistance base, the unfinished one. Here we would build our secret project. After it was complete, it would be launched and would sure to be a crushing blow to your forces. That's all I know." said she.

"Anything else?" asked A2, she put her blade right to the soldier's neck.

"That's all! I swear! I don't know anything else! My family and I were only medical workers before this! Most of the people you fought were just like us!"

"Wait, you were all forced to fight?" asked Lars, "Is that why your performance was so low?"

"Y-yeah, I guess you could say that. L-look, I know I tried to kill you, but, I don't want to die and I don't want my family to die either.  We were forced to fight by the leader of our territory, and they're still in the city."

"Let me guess, you want me to save them?" Lars asked.

"Yes..." she slumped her head down, "I know I'm asking much but my child, he's only-"

"Save it." said Lars suddenly, "Fine, we  _are_ in need of more medical staff. But don't expect me to go save anymore of you guys..." said Lars, "It isn't fair. Not to me. Not to my comrades. Take her to the Will-O'the-Wisp, she's a prisoner for now."

"C-commander! She could be lying! She could be counting on this and try to sabotage us!" shouted one of the androids.

"Lars, what are you doing? For all we know, she could very much be lying." said 9S.

"She and her family were forced into fighting, they're still more or less civilians. Believe me, we're only saving her and her family. Plus, that was an order, not a suggestion." he looked at the soldier, "Try and do anything funny, and I'll kill you without a second thought, am I clear." All the other soldiers were in a bit of shock, they've never heard Lars speak in such a low, monotone, and scary way before. "But before you go, what does the remainder of your family look like?"

The woman handed over a holographic picture. Lars looked closely at the man and the child in the photo,  _"So, they even use children?"_ thought Lars to himself, "Put her in a cell."

"Yes, sir." said a soldier, she quickly bought the soldier inside the ship and came out moments later. "6O said she was informing the other Commander as well, sir."

"Oh God, I'm never going to hear the end of it." muttered Lars.

"That's what you get when you just trust someone." teased 9S, "But, I get where you're coming from I guess. They were forced to fight, and received practically no training at all. We were practically made to fight and programmed with all the combat strategy and training we'll ever need."

"Yeah." said Lars, he turned to the rest of the soldiers, "Alright, we've wasted enough time, and the enemy know's we're here. So let's keep moving!"

*Some time later*

Lars and his soldiers all saw a massive amounts of lights. They looked closer and saw that all the light was coming from a city, it was surrounded by a fleet of submarines, machine life-forms, and exo-suits. Except this time, the suits had a symbol on them, it was a crowned diamond. Lars assumed that they were actual soldiers, and working for a royal family as well. "Spread out into your teams and get ready to flank on my order, the Will-O'the-Wisp will take the first shot. Chances are they'll be expecting us, wait for my signal." he said quietly. 

His soldiers began spreading, "A2, back squad one, 2B is with squad two, 9S, you're with squad three."

"What about you?" asked A2.

"I have some rescuing to do... Plus, I have to find that project that woman was talking about." 

With that, all of the troops spread out as ordered. Lars went on top of the ship, "6O, can you hear me?" asked he.

"Yup." she responded.

"Fire torpedoes on my signal. After that happens, begin shelling. 

"Are all of you in position?" asked Lars.

"Yes, sir. We have linked with A2." said the captain of squad one.

"2B is here, we are now all ready." stated squad two's captain.

"Unit 9S is here. Awaiting your command, commander." responded the captain of squad three.

*Strength Focus (Gundam IBO)*

"Then here we go. Fire at will." he told 6O.

The ship fired two torpedoes to start. Both projectiles struck the city, dealing damage to it. Now, the fleet of submarines' full attention was on the Will-O'the-Wisp. All of them began heading towards the YoRHa ship at full speed, the exo-suit soldiers followed it. "Mask, scan for the ones I'm after." 

"Scanning, located." the mask highlighted two soldiers. 

"So they really are using child soldiers. Sral, you claim to be better than me?" said Lars to himself. "Flank now!"

Out of several different locations, the YoRHa soldiers came right out and began engaging the Jinzo forces. Lars quickly went over to his targets, hitting or shooting aside any of those that were in his way. A submarine blocked his path, so Lars just extended his arm blade and tore right through the vehicle, causing it to flood. He tackled both of the ones he was after and cut their propelling systems. "You two are coming with me. I have your wife." he told the man.

"What? You're lying!" he pointed his claw right at Lars, and in response, he crushed it with his left arm. 

"Don't believe me?" asked Lars. He turned to the child he looked about six or five, "Do you want to see your mother again?"

"Mommy?" asked the child, "Y-yes, I don't want to die."

"Your child seems to believe me. Now make your decision." said Lars, he turned and shot down a Jinzo soldier coming at him, "We haven't a lot of time. But, if you want proof." He took out the holographic family picture.

"Wh-what? How?" asked the man.

"You guys worked in the medical field, forced to fight." said Lars, he flew over a Jinzo and cut into his suit with his blade, "Hurry it up." 

"I... I believe you." said the man reluctantly. 

"Good." Lars connected himself to squad one, "Squad one, escort the ones I have with me back to the ship, they are to reunite with the prisoner."

"You're taking in more?" asked the captain.

"That's an order."

"Yes, sir." Eleven soldiers came by and took the two. After they were gone, only A2 and Lars remained now.

"Alright, I can go see that project now. A2, help me clear a path, the smash-cannon shouldn't be used yet."

"Understood." she responded. A2 flew right through the water and began cleaving through any soldiers and vehicles that got in her way. Lars began charging forward as well, he began firing the repeater at any and all machine/Jinzo forces in front of him. Eventually, there was a straight path to the city. Lars flew straight for it, and saw that there was a hole in a building, however it was getting closed off by bulkheads. Lars flew as fast as he could, many machines and soldiers fired at him, some shots managed to hit his A.S.P. and gun. Now, Lars was losing speed, the bulkheads were closing as well.

"Crap! I'm not gonna make it!" Lars tried opening a portal instead, but he couldn't. He quickly realized that there was an anti-magic field. But A2 picked him up and flew at full speed towards the hole. The bulkheads were practically an inch above them as they entered, the both of them made it into the building, except that the rest of Lars' A.S.P was torn off. Both he and A2 crashed onto the floor and rolled. A2's helmet smashed against the floor a bit too hard and it was damaged, as she took off her helmet, the both of them stood up. Lars looked around to see where they were, it seemed to be a hallway of some sort. 

*Song should end around here*

A2 tossed her broken helmet aside and looked at Lars. "What now?" asked she.

"We find the little project that woman was talking about." said Lars, he extended his arm blade. A2 threw aside her buster sword and materialized her 4O sword. She also materialized the grey long-sword she had and gave it to Lars.

"You can't just use your arm blade." said she, "Come on, let's go."

"Switch back to cyborg." said Lars.

"Converting." said his mask, Lars felt normal again.

Both Lars and A2 began to run through the building. On their way, many cameras spotted them and alerted that the entire building had intruders. Soldiers were deployed to their locations and they got quickly surrounded. There may have been hundreds if not thousands of soldiers, but they were no match for the pair. "We have to find that little project if there is one! Keep one alive!" shouted Lars.

"You really trust that woman that much?" asked A2 whilst she threw someone into another crowd.

"Yeah, I do." responded Lars, he stabbed a man right through the head and impaled another soldier. 

"Understood!" A2 brought up her sword-mace and crushed a machine's head along with the rest of it's body. She blocked three blades and then swept all of them with her leg. As they all fell on the ground, she equipped her lance and decapitated all of them. "Duck!" she shouted at Lars. He did what she said and watched as the lance flew above him and impaled multiple soldiers. Lars got back up and saw that only a few more soldiers remained, he slashed one across the lower abdomen, then moved on to the next and destroyed a man's face with his arm. 

Lars and A2 cut right through the rest of the soldiers until only one remained. "Tell me, is there a project here? One that can give you a huge advantage?" asked Lars as he pointed a blade, A2 stood next to him, her arms crossed.

"I don't know what you're talking about." said the soldier, bravely.

"Your voice, tells me you're hiding something. Very well." Lars sank the blade through the man's thigh, "Tell me. Now." 

"There is... nothing!" groaned the man.

"A2 rip his arms off." 

"I really don't think that there's-" said A2.

"Trust me, I can hear it in his voice, he's lying." 

A2 sighed and walked up to the man, she grabbed both of his arms and began pulling, she managed to rip off one arm unintentionally, which was all that was needed. "ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT!" screamed the man.

"Oh, he  _was_ lying. Sorry for doubting you." stated A2.

"It's cool, now tell us." demanded Lars.

"O-our project is called the Mosasaur, it was supposed to give us the edge in shelling from the sea and surprise attacks. It's enormous, and it's in hangar seven... Mass production wasn't needed... Royals here said... no..." said the man with his last breath, he then died of blood loss.

"Alright hangar seven, Mask, do a scan of this place." 

"Scanning: located, marking on map." said the mask.

Lars was going to start heading for the hangar but he got a call instead, "Commander! This is 109G of squad one, the Jinzo forces are not stopping, many of our soldiers are incapacitated and we are starting to run low on fuel and ammunition. What do we do?"

"Retreat, make it seem like the Jinzo drove you guys off. A2 and I will focus on destroying their project and this city, they aren't going to mass produce it and I think all the royals of the diamond family is here." said Lars.

"What about you and A2?" asked the soldier.

"We'll leave some other way." responded Lars, "0C, out."

 The second he hung up, he and A2 were on the move again. "Question." said A2 whilst they were running.

"What is it?" asked Lars.

"What's a Mosasaur?"

"It's an aquatic dinosaur."

"What's a dinosaur?" 

"I'll explain later, right now we have to get to hangar seven."

After a but more running, Lars and A2 finally got to the door that led into the hangar. They both nodded at each other and A2 kicked the door right down. There they saw all four of the diamond royals trying to board a giant metallic dinosaur-like machine, which Lars automatically assumed was the Mosasaur. 

*Fade*

"Who are you?" asked the King.

"We're the one's who's going to destroy the Mosasaur, step aside, or die with it." said A2.

"Hah! Never! You two fools face the house of diamond, and from what I've heard, your forces have abandoned you two!" gloated the Ace. "Guards!" but no one came.

"One, they're all dead, and your troops are still outside the city. Two, I ordered them to retreat, the both of us are more than enough to take down all of you." said Lars.

"Well then, I suppose you are prepared to die." chuckled the queen. The king put both his hands up, magical energy pulsed. The queen drew a bladed whip, the Jack drew the two of her daggers, one froze over, the other one set itself ablaze. Finally, the ace pulled out a pistol. Lars looked a bit shocked, wasn't there an anti-magic field? "Surprised we can use magic?" asked the Queen, "We have these stones." she said smugly, she bought out a rock

"Three ranged, and one close quarter. There are four of them, mind if I call for some help?" asked Lars to A2.

"Yeah, sure."

Lars quickly called Adam, "Can you teleport to my location?" asked he.

"Why of course." said Adam.

"What are you babbling abou-"

Suddenly, two swirls of light appeared right next to A2, and when they cleared, there stood Adam and Eve.

*End of the Unknown*

"Oh, so we're fighting royals today." stated Eve, "This should be fun. Who do I fight, Lars?"

"Can you and Adam take the Jack and Queen?"

"Of course." responded Adam.

"Who are you two? New androids?" asked the Queen.

"Well, we're machines. We merely look like androids." responded Adam, "And we happen to be on YoRHa's side now."

"What? That's impossible! Machines are supposed to obey us!" 

"Not us, now, let us get underway." he and Eve wasted no time as the both of them dashed forth to begin combat with the Queen and Jack.

"Mother! Sister!" shouted the Ace, he pointed his pistol at Adam and fired, but Lars came up and blocked the magical shots.

"I'll be you opponent!" shouted Lars, he swung down his blade, but the Ace blocked it with his gun and knocked Lars back. Whilst this was happening, A2 began dodging all of the King's magical blasts. She swung her blade right at the off-guard king, but the Jack came up and blocked it.

The Jack was going to strike A2 with her ice blade, but Eve kneed her right in the head, sending her back, "Don't run, I haven't had  _this_ much fun in a long time!" shouted he.

With the Jack out of the way, A2 was free to engage the King again, she ran faster this time and was going to cut him in half with the Type-4O blade, but a whip came and wrapped itself around her blade and she looked over at the Queen, who was managing to hold back Adam at the same time. The queen pulled her whip and A2's blade went straight out of her hand, leaving her momentarily unarmed. 

"Now you're open!" shouted the King. But an arm made from energy came up and grabbed the King and flung him into a wall. 

"Ivan!" shouted the Queen in his direction.

"Pay attention!" called Adam as he kicked her in the stomach. With a grunt she stumbled back and Adam uppercutted her into the air, kicked her several times, and then smashed his leg into her head, sending her back to the ground. As Adam landed, he felt something shoot out of the smoke and wrapped itself around his arm his arm. He soon realized that it was the bladed whip, as the blades sank into his sleeve, he looked around. "Being invisible is pointless if you're fighting a machine that can learn and evolve." he muttered.

Adam quickly calibrated the sensitivity of his ears, and his sense of touch and felt the Queens footsteps around him. That paired with her breathing was enough to pinpoint her exact location and he slammed his fist into the ground, pillars of energy rose out of the exact spot she was standing on, her invisibility was turned off and she was sent flying. Adam fired a single focused energy shot right through her core, ending her. Adam ran over to her corpse and picked up her stone and rushed off to assist the others. 

*Transition* 

Eve swung his fist at the Jack, she blocked with her daggers and jumped back. Getting on all fours, she crawled forth with incredible speed, but Eve just kicked her up into the air. As she plunged down and tried to kill him, he did an aerial back flip and dodged her attack. Eve shot several energy shots, the Jack began to deflect them one by one but she didn't see Eve's energy arm coming forward. 

As the arm wrapped around her, she dropped her daggers. "Gotcha." said Eve, he swung his arm and dragged her through the walls of the hangar, tearing both the walls and her apart. When he finally dropped her, she was nothing but a bloody mess that stained the floor. "Brother?" asked Eve.

"You go assist A2, I will help Lars. I have a feeling the King and Ace are stronger."

*Transition* 

A2 kept evading the Kings' blasts, though he was thrown quite hard against a wall not too long ago, he still had a high magical power supply. "Now why won't you just die?!" shouted the King. He took out a book and began reciting some lines, "Thy magic is high, but t'is not high enough. O arcane book, grant thy user more power!" he said. He shot more magic at A2, but she noticed that it was more powerful.

"Damn, I can't let him keep powering himself up." she said to herself. She charged forward again, the King put both his hands together and fired a flurry of magical bullets. The moment they slid through A2's skin, she felt a searing pain. She fell to the floor and looked up to see that more were about to hit her, but Eve stepped in and put up his shield. He yelled as he deactivated his shield and sent all of the bullets back. The King raised a shield and blocked all the bullets.

"How dare you interrupt!" yelled the King. He fired some more blasts at Eve, but he just took A2 and dodged them. 

"Do you have a plan?" asked Eve.

"Keep him busy for me, would you?" responded A2.

Eve nodded and shot energy at the King. His enemy blocked the shots, but before he could react, Eve appeared right in front of him and slammed his leg right into his arm, shattering it. Eve used his other leg and kicked him into a wall. With this, A2 threw her sword-mace right through the King's left shoulder, pinning him to the wall. She went into berserk mode and charged straight with the Type-4O lance. 

The King shot one more blast, which hit A2 full force, sending her back. But Eve gave A2 a boost by kicking her mid-air, sending her straight for the King. She pointed her lance in front and it impaled the King right in his neck, killing him.

*Transition*

The Ace and Lars were in a power struggle and the Ace looked over, "Mother! Father! Sister!" he turned his head back at Lars, "You are monsters!" With his leg, he hit Lars back and fired three shots at him. Lars was able to deflect the first two, but the third one hit him in the shoulder. Whilst he was stunned, the Ace fired more, but Adam came up and blocked them.

"Here." said he. He tossed Lars one of the stones needed to use his magic. Adam and Lars then together charged forward and began dodging or blocking the Ace's shots. Adam kicked the gun right out of his hand and Lars slammed his fist into his body, sending electricity surging through his body.

"I-impossible, imagine me, losing." said he. Right before Lars dealt the finishing blow, he let out a wave of wind, sending both Lars and Adam backward. He bought his gun back to him and began shooting again. Lars and Adam had little time to be on the offensive.

"Damn, I can't activate my field." stated Adam.

"Me neither." said Lars,  but he got an idea. He activated his time manipulation and cut the Ace's hands right off. As he deactivated his time manipulation, the severed hands fell to the ground, blood oozing from the Ace's stumps. Whilst he screamed, Adam came up and dropped his heel right on his head, that was the finishing blow. The top of his head sank in, and his eyes popped out, still hanging by the nerves. 

*Fade*

Eve and A2 walked up to Adam and Lars. "They're all dead, now we have to destroy this place."

"Analysis: This city is run by a nuclear core. A detonation would wipe out this entire city and the surrounding fleet." stated the mask. 

"And the Will-O'the-Wisp?" asked A2.

"It is currently over the ocean, it will be unharmed."

"Good, can either of you two start a self-destruct sequence?" asked Lars.

"It is possible, we just need a terminal. Like that one." said Adam. He walked over to a small computer and put his hand on the monitor and began hacking. 

"SELF DESTRUCT SEQUENCE ACTIVATED." stated the main system, "DETONATION IN T-MINUS 10... 9... 8..."

"Get us outta here!" shouted A2.

Adam and Eve grabbed hold of Lars and A2. The four of them managed to teleport just in time, "3... 2... 1..."

After the four of them left, the entire place blew up in a nuclear explosion. Outside of the city, the damaged fleet didn't even see it coming as they were incinerated in the explosion. Everything in the surrounding area was wiped out by the explosion, including the Mosasaur. The four of them teleported onto a small deserted island, right near the Will-O'the-Wisp.

As the ship started heading for them, Adam and Eve decided to take their leave. "Bye now. Let's do this again sometime, you know where to find us." said Adam before he and Eve teleported away.

Lars and A2 looked up and saw the Will-O'the-Wisp's shuttle descending and Lars remembered something.

"Let me tell you what a Mosasaur is." said he to A2.

 

 

 

*Elsewhere in Ireland*

"So  _this_ is where he met his end?" asked Dan.

"Yeah, this is the place." responded Sral, "Find a piece of him, even one will do."

"No need, found most of his body right here." called Pallad, "You lost against an android and another version of you? That's pretty pitiful."

"If I recall correctly, didn't  _you_ lose to them as well, you little brat?" said Dan.

"I didn't die, 'hero of justice'. I just lost." growled the boy.

"How dare you, are you mocking me and my justice, boy?"

"So what if I am?"

"That's enough!" shouted Sral, "Dan, just get working."Dan grumbled as he walked over to the portion of Kuro's body. He put his hand over, several magical clocks formed around the body and the hands started going backwards. The limbs and other parts began regrowing, eventually, Kuro was whole again. His eyes opened, the red one shined and he sat up. "Hello, Kuro." said Sral, "Sleep well?"

"Shut it!" Kuro shouted, "That bitch killed me, and she thinks she can get away with it?" he asked.

"Come one, we'll all kill them in due time." stated Sral.

"In due time..." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The things that are used underwater are based off the arch-wings from Warframe.  
> BTW, I updated chapter 27.  
> You'll notice that the royals aren't really all that strong.  
> Summer breaks almost over! ( ཀ ʖ̯ ཀ)


	32. Preperation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lars' and his friend's mission is to go undercover in the capital city of the Jinzo. But first, they must prepare.

Lars walked out of the Commander's room in the Bunker rubbing his ass. "Damn... That really hurt." he stated. The three of his friends walked up to him.

"Soooo? How did it go?" asked 9S.

"Well, it all started like this."

*Initiate Flashback*

White was leading Lars into her room. She slightly pushed Lars inside and closed the doors behind her. When she turned to look back at him, she was furious. "I cannot believe you!" she shouted, "Taking in a Jinzo family?! Just what in the Hell were you thinking?"

"They were forced to fight, I saved them because they were technically civilians, plus all the information she gave us was pretty accurate. There was actually some weapon that would give them the edge and we even took out an entire royal family in one attack." responded Lars.

"That does not excuse what you have done! What do you even plan to do with them?" 

"Well, the Will-O'the-Wisp  _does_ need some more medical staff."

"Tch, you make a fair point." she sighed, "I liked your charisma more when you were getting YoRHa's morality back. I just hope this isn't the wrong decision."

"So, does this mean I'm free to go?" 

White turned around very quickly and hit Lars right on his ass with her crop, with all her strength. A very high shriek came from Lars as he gave White a very panicked look. "What the hell was that about?!"

"Well, I needed to punish you in  _some_ way." chuckled White, "I thought some humans enjoyed being attacked like that."

"Yeah, if they're into bdsm and stuff like that. I'm not, and my parents told me to stay away from poison like that!" said a very frantic Lars.

"Anyway, you're free to go. I'll send you your mission later." said she.

*Back to the Present*

"So that's how it happened." stated Lars.

2B, 9S, and A2 all looked like they had the same question. "Ummm, what's bdsm?" asked 9S. 2B and A2 looked satisfied that 9S asked. "You said it was poison or something like that?"

Lars was filled with dread, did he really have to explain this stuff to his friends? H took one deep breath and started,"Okay, to put it simply, it's basically really wild mating. With whips, chains, pain, and latex, lot's of latex." this only made the three look a bit interested, "Look, I'm getting really uncomfortable talking about this! Can we move on?"

"Yeah, alright." said 2B, "Any word on out next mission?"

"Nope, not yet. White said she would send it later. For now, I'm gonna grab something to eat." Lars headed for the Will-O'the-Wisp and entered. He walked to the mess-hall and was going to make himself something. but someone else was there. The woman he saved was there, "Oh, I thought you worked in the med-bay."

"Well, I also know how to cook." she started preparing something, "I can't thank you enough for what you did for me and my family."

"It's fine, I was merely lucky not to get you guys get put in confinement. You three were forced to fight, I wouldn't see that as fair."

"Yeah, and I thank you for that, anyway. Something to eat?"

"That would be nice Mrs..."

"Oh, right I haven't told you my name, it's Quinn. Quinn Romura, it's nice to meet you."

"How has your family been on this ship?" asked Lars.

"Honestly, we've been doing fine. Your medical crew is very nice and very fond of my child, Alvine. My husband and I have been asked several questions by, 21O I believe? She asks us a lot about how a family works."

"She asked me much of the same thing. What's your husband's name by the way?"

"His name is Varius. He's been well, I think he's still in the med-bay, anyway, your food is ready. Mashed potatoes with peas and roasted chicken."

"Thanks." responded Lars, he began eating the meal that Quinn made for him, "Huh, this is  _reall_ _y_ good. Reminds me of Devola and Popola." he stated.

"Great, who're Devola and Popola? Are they androids as well?"

"Yup, they androids who take care of me a lot, I'm really fond of them. They're twin models."

"Okay." said she. Before Lars left, she asked, "What do you plan to do after the war ends? Wasn't the moon destroyed with all the humans on it?"

"Well, go back to my world."

"Your world?" asked Quinn.

"Yeah, I'm not from this world. I managed to gain YoRHa's morality back by asking them to lend a hand to the humans on my world. They're struggling to survive because of World War III which wiped out about three billion of the seven and a half billion people on my Earth. Right now, things are unsteady and another war may break out, destroying what's left of my world." said Lars grimly.

"Is that so?" asked Quinn, Lars nodded and was about to leave, but the door opened before he knew it and a little child that was about six or five was standing there.

"Mommy?" asked he.

"Oh, Alvine!" she cried. Quinn quickly walked over to pick him up and carry him. This reminded Lars about how his mother used to carry him, "My, my, my, you've grown!" she rubbed her face against her son's. Those words and Quinn's actions reminded Lars about everything his mother once did. Before he knew it, a tear slid down his face. Quinn took notice of this and asked, "Are you alright? What is wrong?"

"It's nothing, really." choked Lars, "I'll be leaving now, please excuse me." Lars quickly walked out of the mess-hall. Once out, he put his back up to the wall and slid down, he began to silently cry. That didn't last long though, as A2 found him sitting in the hall.

"What's wrong?" she said as she sat down next to him.

"I saw Quinn and her son together." he sniffed, "I guess it reminded me of  _my_ mother's love too much." he put his head back in his arms. A2 said nothing but wrapped her hands around him.

"I'll never be able to replace them." she whispered, "But I'll give it my all to protect you, I give you  _my_  love and affection. I can only hope it to be just enough, because I don't want you to be sad. Your life has been filled with too much already."

Lars lifted his head and looked at A2, "Thank you." he said, before leaning in. A2 did so as well, and they kissed once again. With this, Lars' sadness was wiped away, he had A2, he had his friends, he had-

"We interrupting something?" asked 9S all of the sudden.

Hey, I wasn't done talking yet.

"Yeah, I think it was going a bit too slow. So I cut you off." said 9S. Hold on a sec, why am I saying it's you?

"Ummm... for the audience to know?"

Well guess what, I ain't doing it anymore. You can go-

"Okay, can we  _not_ break the fourth wall? Please?" asked Lars. There I go again, saying it's you guys. But I suppose I  _am_ the writer and I guess I have to carry on. Anyway, Lars and A2 were kind of embarrassed. Judging from the fact that they were caught kissing in the hallway.

"Has out mission come in yet?" asked 2B.

A sudden beep from Lars' coat pocket answered her question. Lars took his terminal out and opened up his message, "Your mission is simple, infiltrate the Jinzo city and gather whatever intel you can. All of you are to go.   -White" it read.

"Guess that's our mission. Shall we go?" asked 9S.

"Yeah, but first." said Lars, "Hey, Quinn, did you live in the capital city? Like, ever?"

"Huh? You mean Avalon, de Stad av Rättvisa?"

"Avalon, the City of Justice?" asked Lars, "Is that the name?"

"Yes, to both. My family lived there momentarily before we were forced to fight? Why do you need to know?"

"Well, I was hoping you could tell me a bit about it. Our mission is to infiltrate and go undercover."

"Well, first of all, what is the date?"

Lars looked at the calendar on his terminal. "It's July twenty-ninth, why?"

"Then tomorrow is the King of Spade's birthday, there's bound to be a festival out on the streets at night. So that means security is going to be pretty tough. You'll have to get through the wall somehow, but you can't go over, it's got guards and poisonous, bladed, wires. So the only way to get through is at the gates, unless you can somehow phase through a wall. There's also a magic field covering the entire city, you can't use magic unless you have some kind of magic stone. It also reflects all attacks from the outside."

"I am aware you can open up portals, but the field won't allow you to. If your portal's entrance is outside the city, it won't open within the city. I'm afraid the only way you can go through is going through the gates, or getting through the wall."

"Well then, it seems I have the perfect thing. My arm has a cloaking device and a phase-shifter. We should be able to get through the wall with no problem. We need to get them through as well." he looked at the other three. "We need disguises, I'm sure YoRHa or the resistance will take care of the cloaking and invisibility."

"Okay, first of all, your clothes all need to be changed to look like normal citizens. We'll try the higher class." said Quinn, "You need another long-coat."

"Won't a long-coat just give me away?"

"No, long-coats are like," she leaned near Lars' ear, "They are like,  _the_ shit." She went back, "Okay, so you just need another long-coat, you can borrow my husband's. He got one, but he doesn't like it. You can use it." she looked at the other three, "But as for you three, I'd ask your comrades to make something for you guys. Anyway, Lars, you go ask my husband for his coat, he should be in the med-bay."

"Thanks, Quinn." said Lars before leaving. "Okay, you guys go down to Earth and ask Adam and Eve for some more human looking clothes I guess. I think they know how to sew, judging that they took my memories." 

"Okay, we'll be right back then, we'll give you a call." said 9S. Lars opened a portal and let the other three go through. 

"Right, now to go ask Varius." stated Lars. He walked over to the med-bay and the door slid open, revealing Varius with the other medical androids developing some kind of new medicine. "Hey, Mister Varius?" 

"Oh, hello. I've been wanting to say thanks for a while now." said he.

"Yeah, you're welcome. I was wondering if I could borrow your long-coat."

"Actually, you can  _have_ it. I don't like the thing, I absolutely hate the design, it's just not my style. It also came with pants, and a shirt." Varius gave Lars some folded midnight blue clothes. "It's the least I can do for you saving my family."

"Yeah, and thanks for giving this to me."

"You are welcome, bye now." said he as Lars left.

Lars went to his room and switched his clothes. The long-coat was somehow a perfect fit, it was midnight blue and went to his lower calves. It could not close, had a three badge like bells on the left side of the chest, and a metal clock on the back. The shirt was just plain black and kind of tight, making Lars' abdominal and chest muscles stand out. The pants were what he expected, it was also midnight blue. With this, Lars could hide his arm, he just put a glove on his left hand as well. "This'll do." he wondered how the others were doing, so he went to the bridge.

The operators immediately noticed what he was wearing and began commenting on it, "That actually looks pretty good on you." said 91O.

"Mostly everything fits, and were you always so muscular?" asked 18O, what a strange question.

"Not bad, not bad at all." stated 21O, "I'd do something about your hair though if you're going in disguised."

"Looks really good, I wish I had some other clothing." said 6O.

"Think so?" asked Lars, "Anyway, set a course for our hangar on Earth."

"Yes, sir." said 21O, "All crew, we are taking off for Earth, secure anything loose or can move around easily."

After three minutes or so, the ship detached from the Bunker's extension and began going down to Earth. They quickly entered the atmosphere and made it down to Earth. After they landed, Lars went over to the top of the building, only to find a note, and nothing else. "We moved to the Copied City." it read. 

"Oh great, this is going to bring back some memories." 

*Moments later*

Lars held a torch as he walked through the caves. Destroyed machine parts signaled that his friends were already here. When he got to the elevator, he threw aside the torch and entered the elevator. "Now why would he want us to go back down there? This is gonna suck." But when the elevator doors opened, Lars didn't just see blocky buildings that were pure white. Every inch of the place had appeared to be painted. The walls were all wooden like and there was actual glass. Lars walked over to one of the windows and looked inside, the buildings actually had interiors. Lars smelled something sweet and followed the aroma, it led him to a single building he looked inside and saw pies on display, Lars was quick to find out this was a bakery. 

Every detail of the city was now filled in, not a single stray block littered the area. Even the ceiling was painted blue and had clouds. It looked so real, Lars couldn't contain his curiosity, he began to explore the area. He saw a tailor and saw that the sign said "open". Lars walked in and a bell rang, he saw no one, "Hello?" he called.

Footsteps could be heard from another room and he saw Eve walk out, "Oh, you're here. Brother! Lars is here."

Adam came out of the same room that Eve did and smiled. "Well, what do you think of my little city now?" asked he.

"It's... definitely impressive. How did you do this so fast?" asked Lars.

"Well, we moved here not to long ago, while the YoRHa invasion was taking place, actually. I decided that since Eve and I don't need to sleep, we can just renovate this place without stop. So that's what we did. We added a medical clinic, a bakery, several homes with all of them furnished and decorated, entertainment areas, restaurants, a cutlery store, even a pub, and of course, this clothing tailor." 

"Amazing. So where are the others." asked Lars.

"Well, I finished with 9S first, you should find him in one of the buildings. I have also finished with 2B, they should be together. I will notify you when I am done with A2. Oh yes, and I nearly forgot, we have... shall I say, dear people of you and me here as well."

"Alright thanks." said Lars before he walked out of the building. He looked around and thought about the different places that Adam spoke about and the other people he talked about. Then, from behind one of the buildings, he heard voices.

"Devola! Where could she have gone? She isn't at the pub. So where?" asked a female. 

Hearing that, Lars immediately recognized that it was Popola and he climbed on top of the building that she was behind. Lars looked around the entire city, now vibrant and colorful, he looked down to spot exactly who he expected.

"Popola?" asked Lars, happily.

"Lars!" responded she. Lars jumped down happily and the both hugged each other, "I haven't seen you since your speech got everyone's morality back, when I heard you fought one of the alternate versions of you, I feared the worse. But here you are, always surviving." she smiled. "Enough about me, how have you been?"

"Y'know, missions. It's tiring, what brings you to the Copied City?" 

"Well, Adam and Eve asked us to help out here. After getting Anemone's permission, we helped make your guys' cloaking and invisibility devices. And then Adam told us to have some fun before going back to the camp. But I just can't find Devola." she sighed.

"Have you tried the pub?" asked he.

Popola looked up, "Wow, I'm stupid. Not thinking of that. Devola really likes to drink, how'd you know?"

"I was right?" asked Lars.

"Alright then, I'll get going now, you should look for your friends, I don't want to slow you down."

"Slow me down? No, I've got 'till tomorrow. Plus, I wanna see Devola again."

"Then let's go." smiled Popola. She and Lars started their walk over to the pub, "What's with the outfit change?" asked she.

"I'm supposed to be undercover with the others, we're going to the Jinzo capital city. Here we are." said he. Popola and Lars strolled into the pub and Lars was exactly correct. There was Devola, she was asleep, probably due to all the alcohol. "Looks like she's not in any condition to be seeing anyone." chuckled Popola, "Think you can get us back to camp?"

"Yeah." Lars opened a portal. Popola waved goodbye before leaving carrying Devola. After she left, Lars resumed his search for his friends. He walked around the now marvelous city, looking in all the shops. Sure they were empty, but he still felt a sense of bliss and nostalgia going in them. The smells of the shops, and the interior designs reminded Lars much of Solvang, the town he had once lived in. Eventually his mask detected movement.

Lars went over in that general direction and heard two voices. "That was fun. Wasn't it?"

"Don't get used to it. We aren't supposed to be having this leisure time, we're still technically on a mission." judging from her words and tone, it was definitely 2B, making the other one 9S. 

Lars quickly ran over to the sources to see both 2B and 9S in their clothes. "Oh, nice clothes." 2B was in some sort of Gothic dress, with new heels, whilst 9S was wearing a tailcoat, with three chains instead of buttons to connect the sides, along with some shorts that were just a bit longer than his regular ones. His boots were practically the same, the buckles and the leather was basically the same in design. 9S also had a top hat and he and 2B didn't have their blindfolds on.

"Adam says this is what higher class Jinzo adolescents wear, it was perfect for me he said. And he said 2B had a custom Dahlia Gothic dress he made after seeing Lars' mother wearing it once. He said it was perfect for her." stated 9S.

"Well, either way, I think you two look nice. And me?"

"Not bad, not bad at all. Were you always so... muscular?" asked 9S, he pointed at the tight shirt that made Lars' body stand out.

"Yup, trained for a long time. Always made sure my body is in peak condition." suddenly, Adam called him. "Hello?"

"A2 is finished, come swing by." said he.

"On our way, let's go." responded Lars. 2B, 9S, and Lars all walked back to the tailor. When they entered, Adam was standing next to a curtain. Eve beat a drum continually until Adam pulled the curtain down. There was A2, she wore a corset, fishnets covered the rest of her upper body, and she still wore armored pants, just new ones. A2 also had heels, along with sleeves on her lower arms.

"I studied Jinzo fashion, and they believe that woman should show off their beauty and their own power. The combination you see is a popular one, she will fit right in." stated Adam.

A2 blushed a bit as she asked, "Well, wh-what do you think?" 

Lars fumbled with his words, "I-it looks great on you." he said that last part kind of wrong, "Well, not that it won't look good on anyone else, but- I mean, yeah. I'm not saying I would be attracted to someone else wearing it... but.... but... you know what I mean!" he said quickly. His face red with embarrassment.  9S snickered a bit. Even 2B let out a small grin. A2 smiled a bit. 

"Well, I trust you all have your cloaking and phase-shifting devices." the four of them nodded, "I suggest you head out tomorrow at noon. That's when the security will be pretty relaxed. I wish you all good luck, also I suggest you don't take your sword with you, Lars."

"Why not?" asked he.

"That sword is the only one in existence in this world. The metal and craftsmanship is unimaginable, not even Eve or I could try and remake it. If you take it, Sral will see, so I suggest your friends store another one of you swords. Perhaps your modded Type-4O will do." explained Adam.

"Very well, any of you guys have it?"

"I do." said 2B, "Just ask and you'll receive."

Lars nodded and Adam continued, "Make sure fighting is you last resort, I have prepared dinner for you, Lars. Go to the restaurant when you feel like eating. Also, pick a home to stay for the night. Good luck." the four of them left the building.

Now they wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School started! (ಥ ͜ʖಥ)T ʖ̯ T  
> And no, I don't watch that bdsm shit, the people at my school just happen to be kinky as fuck.  
> Why the hell did I do a fourth wall break?  
> Yes, Lars is incredibly ripped.


	33. Avalon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is time to go into the Jinzo's capital, what surprise will await the four?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ummm... I guess I won't do the fourth wall thing again. Talk about mood whiplash. Plus, we really don't see Lars use the other functions of his arms a lot.  
> Once again, I own none of the music. All credit goes to the owners and creators of the tracks and songs.

Lars lay on the in his borrowed room. It was yesterday that he and his comrades got their clothing. They all chose a room to stay in for the remainder of the day, whilst the other three went out to explore, Lars made a mission plan. "This will do." said he as he looked at the plan, he saw the date. July thirtieth, it was the same day as his father's birthday, could this mean that Sral's father was another copy? All these thoughts were making Lars sink deeper and deeper into his thoughts. But a knock on his door made him snap out of it.

"Who is it?" asked Lars.

"It's me." said the voice, Lars heard A2.

"Come right in."

The door opened to reveal A2 in her disguise. Except her hair was dyed as well, it was a sandy blonde color, like Lars'. "Yeah, Adam said it would help me fit in more. Anyway, it's almost noon. Let's head out." 

Lars packed his gun and hid in within his long-coat. "Alright, let's go." When he walked out of the building, 2B and 9S stood there in their disguises. 2B's hair was a brighter blond, whilst 9S' was black. Adam and Eve also stood with them

"Ready to go?" asked Eve. 

"Yup." responded Lars.

"Good, here." Adam gave a wallet to all of them, "It has Jinzo currency in it." They all took a look at it, it was coins made of silver, gold, and platinum. "Silver are called grimms, gold are known as dakars, and platinum is called a celeste. Now here are the co-ordinates." he inputted the info onto Lars' terminal.

"Target confirmed: marking on map." chimed Pod-042. "Proposal: Commander 0C should get him and his allies there the fastest way possible."

"Analysis: Pod-042 means that 0C should open a portal to the city." stated Pod-153.

"I was going to do just that." said an amused Lars. He put his hand up and opened up the portal. Adam and Eve waved good bye as they all stepped through it. They all stood on a hill. The sun shined bright, there were a few clouds in the sky, the air was incredibly fresh, and there in between the mountains stood a magnificent city. The walls were made of a stone-like material, the castle in the middle stood nearly to the clouds, towers and buildings could be seen practically in every inch of the city. All in all, it was basically a huge medieval city.

"Is that... Avalon?" asked 9S.

"It has to be." said 2B, "Let's go." She began walking toward down the slope, 9S followed. Lars and A2 began walking as well. He saw the front gates, it was heavily guarded, from this distance, the guards on top of the walls wouldn't be able to see them, but they would be seen if they got too close without cloaking. 

"Activate our cloaking, the guards on the walls will see us soon." stated Lars.

9S, 2B, and A2 all took out some device shaped like a gun's handle and pulled the trigger. In the blink of an eye, Lars' could not see any of them. He put on his mask and he could see their outlines, Lars rolled up his sleeve and activated cloaking. Soon, Lars himself couldn't be seen. When they actually got to the wall, the guards couldn't see anything. So far, the plan was going perfectly. "Alright, move on to phase two." said Lars as he removed his mask. The four of them turned on their phase-shifters and passed right through the wall.

When they were all inside the city, the four of them got behind a building and deactivated the cloaking but the two pods stayed cloaked, then they looked around. The coast was clear, so they all walked into the street. It was nothing that Lars expected, he did expect it to be very old-style and lively, but this took his view to a whole new level. Smells of foods, spices, and different herbs filled the streets. The roads were chiseled and clean, people walked around, talking, eating, or selling things. Quinn and Adam were right about the Jinzo styles, the four could not count the amount of long coats they saw, Jinzo woman wore both feminine and masculine clothing. 

"Wow." uttered 9S, "This is way more than I expected." he looked around in amazement. But the thing that caught his eye was the castle in the center. It was impressive from a far-away view, but up close, it was at least three miles high. As far as Lars knew, no civilization has ever achieved a building that high.

"It's... huge." said A2, "Do you think that's where all the royal families lived?"

"Yeah, I mean, it huge. Then it has to be." responded 2B, "So, what do we do?" she asked Lars.

"Well, we're technically on a recon mission, so we go around to collect as much info as we can." he looked around, and saw a guard. He went up to the soldier, "Excuse me. Is it true it's the King's birthday today?" asked Lars.

"New to Avalon are you?" asked the soldier, "Yes, the festival will be held tonight starting at seven. I hear the word is that we have a new attraction, the King himself will also come out of the castle along with his family. There'll also be an attraction showing our new models for fighting against the android's aerial fighters, and our Lancer legion will depart, they are our true best."

"Alright, thank you." said Lars, he turned to walk away, but before he could make it, the guard called at him.

"Hang on. You look very familiar." he said suspiciously. Lars had completely forgotten that he and Sral have the same face and voice, how could he and Adam not have anticipated that? Lars was waiting for the worse but the guard stopped and said, "Never mind, I must be seeing things. Carry on." 

"That was  _way_ too close." said Lars, "From now on, can you guys do the talking?"

"Yeah, our mission would be compromised if you were found out." said 2B. She looked at one of the many clock towers, "It's only two, let's keep going." Whilst they walked around the street, they saw many more things. There were performers, clinics, cutlery shops, normal shops, even a tournament being held. They all decided not to go in, because it seemed that the fight was about only about half over. Eventually, they all went inside a shop that sold clothing. Lars saw a customized face mask that he knew would come in handy. 9S knew what was up and purchased it for him.

"This will do." said Lars, putting the mask on. 

"Well, your face is hidden now. It should be a bit safer for you." stated A2. She looked at the clock, about an hour had passed. "Four more hours." they all looked to their left and saw people setting up shops in one huge area, the street was closed down, no one was allowed to walk in that area. "It'll only be a matter of time before it starts."

"As much as I'd like to explore the city, we have to stick to this area. Or else, we might not make it." said Lars.

"You're treating it like an assassination mission." stated 9S.

"I am?"

"Yeah. But I suppose you're right. We should stick to this area."

"Then we find a place to pass the time. Let's go."

*Transition*

Sral was putting on a new coat was completely clean. He took off his right arm, which was really just a gauntlet. He looked in the mirror and sighed. A knock on his door made him say, "Come right in." said he. The door opened up to reveal his mother standing there. "Hello mother."

"Sral, it's your father's birthday, why do you look so grim? Is something the matter?" she asked.

"More of our people were killed in the underwater city. Many of them were civilians forced to fight. And Lars gave them no chance to even surrender. It may have been due to the house Diamonds forcing them to fight, and yet... they were slaughtered." 

"I understand how you feel about Lars. You absolutely hate him don't you?" asked his mother.

"No mother, I... I don't..." he couldn't say it, because he really did hate Lars. He hated him the most, but he didn't want to say such vulgar things in front of his mother. "... I have no such grudge against him." 

His mother let out a sigh, "Sral, please. Don't be lying, if you just keep these emotions in, it'll only-"

"I'm not lying." said Sral, his voice raised.

Sral's mother didn't say anything. All she did was walk out the door. After she did, and got far enough, Sral shattered his mirror. "Damn him! DAMN him! DAMN HIM!" he screamed. "I'll kill him, I swear it!" he swept his items off his desk. "Just you wait, Lars. I cut your head off and  _parade_ it around the city." He stormed out of his room and grabbed a servant. "Clean up the mess in my chambers at once." he ordered.

"A-At once." said the shaken servant. 

As Sral stormed off in the hallway, his mother was hidden behind a wall. She had heard all of what he said after she left. She quickly walked to her husband's chambers. He was reading a book and he looked up, "Rachel? What is wrong?"

"Lucas, it's... it's getting worse. Sral's anger and hate, he's becoming more and more what we don't want him to become." said she.

"Oh no." said Lucas grimly, "If this continues, Sral will have truly fallen to the cycle of hatred. We've done everything we could to stop him. I know he only wants the best for us, but he's taking it too far. We're even starting to fall apart."

"I looked into the future. Our kingdom may not last in the next twenty years. Both the Clove and Diamond houses are down, and the house of Hearts is unsure what to do." stated Rachel.

"Sral even approved to use of child soldiers, children, Rachel. I want to believe there is still hope for him."

"So do I, but he even summoned the other versions of him into this world. And they're monsters, twisted, evil, psychopathic monsters. What do we do, Lucas?"

"Truth be told, I don't know." said Lucas. Suddenly, he got an idea. Lucas looked Rachel straight in the eyes and said, "We must meet Lars."

"Why? Just what are you planning?" asked Rachel.

"If anyone can truly stop Sral, it's him."

"Lucas, are you saying, we aid him? In killing Sral? He may be becoming more and more twisted, but he's still our son!" she shouted.

"I know that! But, look at him. I heard what he said too." Lucas looked down and then back up at Rachel, "We aren't strong enough to stop him anymore. Even if we tried, he would have the other versions of him help him. We would die for nothing. But if we went down fighting Lars, it would hurt Sral emotionally."

"Lucas, do you have any idea how far-fetched that plan is? What if this is what Sral wants?"

"Rachel, my love. Sral loves us very much, he may be becoming evil, but he still cares for us. I doubt that he wants us to die. It's as you said, out kingdom isn't going to last into the next twenty years. Even we aren't immortal. We were made by the machine network in an attempt to fight against the androids so long ago, but we broke free and hid for a very long time. I now see that my idea of resurfacing was a terrible mistake, it's too late to clear things and make peace with Lars now. It wouldn't do anything and Sral would very much refuse."

 "So what do we do? I want to-"

"There's nothing else we can do other than to go down fighting Lars." Lucas looked Rachel dead in her eyes. "You saw it in the future didn't you? What happened to us."

"We were killed by Lars. But can't we change that?"

"No. Either way we die. Look at all the other universes, all the versions of Lars lose their parents eventually. This world's Lars, the original Sral, he lost his parents and then he died. And we are mere copies, you, me, Sral. All of us are just copies of the original human race. It's time for us to die out, we 'humans' don't need to exist anymore. You saw it all didn't you?"

"Y-yes." said Rachel sadly, "I only wish there were another way."

"I do too. This... this isn't the future I wanted. But, not like we can do anything about it. I wonder if God himself planned this all along. I just hope that after we die, Sral will join us. Whether it be in heaven or hell. But, for now... we should get ready for the festival. Sral says he has a gift for me after all, I hope it's nothing gruesome."

"Yes, me too." said Rachel. She looked out the window. 

*Hours later*

The sun had finally fallen. The festival was finally starting. Lars and his friends walked around. Musicians everywhere began playing their songs.

*Medieval Music- Medieval Festival*

"So this is a festival?" asked 9S, "Sure looks fun."

"Emotions are prohibited." said 2B, "We aren't here to have fun in the first place."

"Ah come on, 2B. I'll allow emotions, sure we aren't here to have fun, but it doesn't mean we can't have fun while collecting info. I  _am_ only human after all." responded Lars.

2B paused and pouted a bit, "Y-yes, sir." she muttered.

A2 and 9S chuckled a bit. "Well, then. Shall we be off." asked A2, "Here we are in the Jinzo capital, the next time, we may be destroying this place. So let's enjoy it while we can."

"Yup." responded Lars, "Come on." he gestured them to follow. As they walked through the bustling streets, he saw people drinking alcohol, smoking, and different things that adults do. Party games were set up everywhere, children and adults both enjoyed them. 

Lars and his group walked around asking questions and enjoying themselves at the same time. A2 signed herself up for a contest of who can throw a giant rock the furthest, she of course won. Lars did a target practice contest, he came in second. 2B tested her might by lifting a two-ton boulder. And 9S did a sprint, he easily won. Then, the four decided to split up, A2 and 2B would go around, and Lars and 9S would do the same. Lars and 9S managed to find the exhibit with their new technology. Their new fighters were very similar to the YoRHa design, except all of them had closed cockpits and were more humanoid with a head and everything. It was more or less an exo-suit that can transform.

"This is a Lancer. It has a transformable mechanism that can go at mach 5? That's almost as fast as out flight units." 9S whispered.

"This isn't good. And judging from the sign, the Jinzo already have enough for two times their armies. We've taken most of their factories and fortresses. 'Fear not, even if it is slow, we will retake our lands from the demon androids' it says." Lars looked at 9S, a worried expression on his face. He was about to say something but an announcement cut him off.

"Our Lancer legion is about to take off. All participants of the festival are to go outside and watch for the departure. They are going into space to fight the androids."

Lars and 9S both ran outside to find many of the new models escorting what appeared to be giant warships. "It's an entire fleet... And we didn't know about it. This is bad. We have to get this info to Command immediately. Let's meet up with A2 and 2B and get out of here. Nines, can you contact 2B?"

"Yeah, hold on." The two boys ran to behind a building. "2B?" asked 9S.

The screen popped up with 2B on it, "What is it? Is it about the fleet?" asked she.

"We're re-grouping at this point," Lars sent data over, "We have to get out of the city. We'll meet you there."

*Transition* 

As the screen turned off, 2B turned to A2, "We should go." said A2.

"Target data obtained, marking on map." stated Pod-042.

2B nodded and she and A2 began walking towards the rendezvous. They kept walking, avoiding contact with anyone along the way, now that they knew a fleet was heading towards the Bunker. "We're nearing the target point." said A2. "Can you 9S or Lars?"

"No, not yet." 2B responded. She and A2 both looked around, until the both of them spotted the two boys. They quickly walked over, "What's the plan, how are we going to get out?" asked 2B.

" Opening a portal is out of the question. We can phase through the walls again, we have to get away from the crowd first. Once we get out of the city, we have to contact the Bunker immediately and get the Will-O'the-Wisp, Hotarubi, and Isaribi into space to defend." said Lars.

"Alright, let's go." The four of them began to try and get out of the crowd but yet another announcement stopped them. 

*Fade*

"Now citizens! The King and Queen of Spades have arrived." A giant entourage walked onto the streets, carrying some kind of box. The King and Queen sat inside. Lars could not believe his eyes, Sral's father looked exactly like his father. The same went for his mother, he wanted to call to them, but that would compromise their mission. A large marching-band came out and became playing a fanfare, everyone cleared the streets and went to the sides, including the four. The King and Queen waved at all the citizens, they both stared at Lars for a bit. 

It was as if they knew he was here, they gave him a worried look. One that warned of danger, something bad would happen to him if he were to stay. But, were they really warning him? Or was it a trick? They only stared at him for two seconds or so, though. Then, they just began looking everywhere else. The entourage suddenly stopped, Sral and the other three stepped in front, Dan was holding a large, round object covered in a cloth. "A2, is that... Kuro?" whispered Lars to A2.

"It can't be, I swear I killed him." she responded. 

Sral began to speak, "Father, I have... a gift for you today." said he. "I found it one day, and I thought it looked exquisite. Now, I'm not sure what it is, but I'm sure it'll make an excellent decoration. Dan, if you'd please."

Dan walked next to Sral and gave him the object. Sral held the object firmly in his hand and ripped off the cloth with the other to reveal...

 

Emil.

 

He was trembling and scared. There was nothing he could do and here he was being presented as a present to some guy who has a son who looks exactly like Lars. "No way." said 9S.

"We have to rescue him." said Lars suddenly.

"No way. Look at how many guards there are on the streets. If we try, we'll get captured for sure!" whispered 9S. But Lars wasn't listening.

"We aren't just going to leave Emil out here to die. 2B, my sword. Now."

"But-" 2B was cut off.

"You heard me. I'll take Sral on, you guys get Emil out of the city, just get them to chase you, phase out of the city and cloak yourselves after you guys leave. Once I hear you're all a safe distance away, I'll get out via a portal." said he. Lars reached his hand out, gesturing for his sword. 2B reluctantly materialized Lars' Type-4O sword and subtlety gave it to him. Almost immediately, Lars jumped out of the crowd and sliced Sral's arm clean off. 

He let out a scream of pain and dropped Emil to the floor. The other three quickly swooped by and picked Emil up, they stood behind Lars, but they were surrounded by guards now. Everyone in the crowd gasped as they couldn't believe what was happening. There was someone who just cut off the prince's arm. "Lars..." Sral growled, "Is nothing sacred to you? Even our father's birthday?"

"Don't lump me in with you things." said Lars as he took off his face mask. He raised his sword into the air, dark spears came out everywhere on the ground, killing many of the surrounding soldiers and citizens, Dan blocked the spears for him and the other three Lars. Sral's parents were not hit, but they dropped to the floor. Then, Dan began reversing Sral's forced amputation. The arm floated back on and it was good as new. "You'll pay for that." he growled.

"Yeah, time for some payback." chuckled both Pallad and Kuro. They both drew their weapons.

"Still alive are you?" scoffed Dan, "I'll be sure to finish the job myself this time." he drew his sword and materialized his shield.

"No, he's mine. You guys get the androids." said Sral as he drew his blade.

"Fine..." whined Pallad. He looked at 2B, "I'm gonna enjoy playing with you."

"Go, now!" shouted Lars. The other three began to run away with Emil, cutting down a few soldiers in the way. 

"Follow us!" shouted Dan. The other three and a large group of soldiers began to chase the androids, the people also cleared the streets. Sral's parents were even escorted out, leaving only Lars and Sral for their duel.

"Tell me Lars, what is your opinion of me?" asked Sral.

"Is now really the time for this?" responded Lars.

"Just answer me, what is your true opinion of me?"

"Judging from the fact that you approved the use of child soldiers, I'd say that you can't be called the pure one."

"They were used in a fight against you, an evil that must be exterminated."

"That's real rich. Me, a guy who just wants to go home, and I have to kill all of the other versions of me to do so." he looked down and then back up at Sral, "Call me evil all you want, in the end, I just want to go home. And I'm not leaving any of YoRHa or the Resistance behind."

*Roots of the King*

"Unbelievable, you care more for  _androids_  than you do humans?" Sral gripped his sword with two hands. Lars kept his one hand on his sword firm.

"You aren't a human. You're just a copy of the original me of this universe." Lars now lifted his sword, he was fully prepared to fight.

"FUZAKERU NA!" Sral screamed in Japanese. He ran forward, his sword clashing with Lars'. Their blades' sounds could be heard practically everywhere throughout the kingdom, people who went to hide couldn't help but look out into the fight. "I  _will_ defeat you, so my people may know peace!" he swung his sword down on Lars, who countered by blocking the blade, and then he shot Sral in the leg. "Damn you..." groaned Sral. He put on his mask and ten of the tendrils came out. Sral charged forward and managed to hit Lars back several feet.

"Crap." said Lars. He ran forward again, this time taking only potshots at Sral. He put on his mask, with only four tendrils. Lars pulled the trigger on his sword and collided with Sral. The both of them began swinging their swords at higher and higher speeds, except in the department of speed, Lars was losing. Sral was at his max, even without the mask, he was stronger. Lars was knocked back once again.

"Not using your usual sword, and not using your mask to it's full potential, are you mocking me?!" shouted Sral.

"Kanske är jag." retorted Lars. He raised his sword and several dark-lances were summoned. As he did this, Sral raised his blade and several swords made of light materialized. The both of them fired their magical projectiles at the same time, most of them hit each other and disappeared, others got through, forcing Sral and Lars to both block. Suddenly, Lars was grabbed by an arm made of light and flung right into a building. He got up from the rubble and shook his head. Lars saw that there were quite a few scared people in this building. "Don't mind me." said he. 

Lars jumped back out. Reloading his gun mid-air, he began taking potshots once again. Sral deflected the bullets and blocked a blow from Lars. Sral began swinging his sword, and Lars began his parrying. Sral's attacks were quick, but there wasn't much power behind them, he was holding back. Lars let lightning surge through his body and struck Sral right in his face. Sral stumbled back and saw Lars throw a ball of fire at him, so he fired an ice blast back, completely putting the fire out. "So, your magic is the polar opposite to mine?"

"You could say that." Some kind of white energy began to cover his entire body, whilst purple lightning surged through Lars'. The both of them sheathed their blades, removed their masks and ran forward, hitting each other with their fists. Upon impact, the both of them were sent spinning back. But they just got back up and ran forward once again. This time, Lars spun his body to try and kick Sral, but he slid underneath him. Sral spun on the ground, getting closer to Lars and upper-cutted him. "Recognize that move?" asked he.

"Lightning screw uppercut." muttered Lars wiping the blood off his mouth. He ran forward, this time he drew his sword and managed to slice Sral's ring-finger off. "Never said I was gonna play fairly..." He put his mask once again, and so did Sral. This time, six tendrils came out and connected, whilst Sral had ten once again. 

"Bastard..." cursed Sral.

He and Lars charged at each other, their blades once again colliding. Lars pulled the trigger on his sword and swung it. Sral threw a piece of rubble at him, and it was cleaved right in half, sending dust everywhere. Out of the dust, Sral jumped right out and grabbed Lars' mask, "Deactivate, code Omega." All the systems on Lars' mask went dark.

"Activate, code-" before he could finish, Sral ripped the mask right off. He threw it aside. "How did you do that?"

Sral took his mask off. "They're both the same device." responded Sral, he put it back on, the ten tendrils came back out and connected back into his neck. He ran forward again, and swung his sword at full speed. Lars managed to duck just in time, but that didn't stop Sral's blade from grazing Lars' cheek. As he got back in his position, he saw that Sral was already missing, only to have reappeared right behind him. As the blade was thrusted forward, Lars opened a portal just in time for the blade to enter, another was opened right behind Sral and he stabbed himself in the shoulder. Lars jumped back and prepared to fire his smash-cannon. 

As Sral looked up he saw Lars' blast ready to be shot. When he actually fired the giant lazer, Sral opened up a black hole and the entire beam was swallowed. "No way..." uttered Lars. He opened a portal to his mask and jumped through. Lars managed to swipe his mask and put it back on, "Don't have another choice. Disable safety."

"Warning-"

"Shut it!" shouted Lars, all ten of the tendrils extended and connected themselves to Lars' nape. He began to finally fight on par with Sral, but he was still lacking in some departments. He drew his arm blade and began attacking Sral with both his sword and arm blade. Lars began vibrating the blade on his arm and pulled the trigger on his swords multiple times, causing the blade to glow an even brighter blue. He and Sral charged at each other for the final time. They slashed each other when they passed, blood sprayed from both of them as they fell to their knees. Lars attempted to send a shadow copy of him to Sral, but nothing happened.

"Looking for this?" asked Sral, he held the stone that granted Lars his magic within the field. Sral crushed it and stood back up, as did Lars. But then, Lars got a call from 2B. 

"We managed to get Emil out and alerted Command of the fleet heading towards it." said she.

"Good, get Adam and Eve here, I won't be able to open a por-" Lars was cut off when he felt the mask getting ripped right off his face. The tendrils were forcibly disconnected, so Lars felt that intense pain once again. Lars screamed in pain, and turned around, only to be hit with a blade of light right across his face, damaging his eyes. Sral then kicked him into a wall, Lars fell to his knees, he'd lost once again.

*Fade*

"You've lost, now to end this!" screamed Sral, he put his sword up in the air and was about to bring it down, but he was shot with energy. He looked to where the shot came from, it was Adam. "You!"

"Eve, grab all of Lars' gear." said Adam, "I'll hold him." Adam ran forward to begin fighting Sral. Eve quickly gathered all of Lars' things and ran over to Lars.

"Let's get out of here." said he.

Lars nodded, "Adam!" he called. Adam looked over and kicked Sral back, then teleported back to his brother and Lars. He teleported the three of them out of the city. Sral got up and looked at where they were. Dan, Pallad, and Kuro came back with significantly less soldiers than they had.

"You weren't able to kill them?" asked Dan.

"No, those traitors showed up and got them out of here." responded Sral.

"What do we do now?" asked Pallad.

"That fleet is on it's way, YoRHa is sure to be doomed." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ever notice the the brain doesn't register the second "the"?  
> Also, just so you know, Jinzo children are born inside laboratories. Yes, they are made.  
> One of Rachel's magical traits is "foresee". She can see into the future.  
> BTW, Jinzo ships look like Gjallarhorn ships from Gundam Ibo.  
> I'm not sure if Sral's theme really fits him, but I couldn't think of anything else.  
> The part with the Japanese, I couldn't think of anything better.  
> And remember the Tekken elements.


	34. Defend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lars' eyes are damaged, but they can heal. However, the Jinzo fleet is on it's way, and they can be there at any moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took so long, school work is just gobbling up a ton of my time.

Adam and Eve teleported onto the Will-O'the-Wisp, Eve holding Lars. 2B, A2, and 9S were all there along with the medical crew, including Quinn and Varius. "He's hurt bad. And needs medical attention immediately!" said Eve immediately. Hearing this, the medical crew began all preparations to try and heal Lars. A medical android came up to Eve. She scanned Lars and looked at the readings, then shook her head.

"Give him here, we need to get him to the Bunker, his injuries are too great for this ship's equipment. We can only stabilize him for a bit." said she. Eve handed Lars over to her and they all rushed to the med-bay. The androids looked at the machines. 

"What was he like when you got to him?" asked 9S.

"He was in bad shape, lacerations all over his body. I think his eyes were damaged quite extensively." responded Adam, "We  _would_ take our leave right now, but taking a look of our situation, I'd say that we should stay."

"And why is that?" questioned 2B.

"Well, there is a giant fleet of Jinzo ships carrying most of their military making to their way to the Bunker as we speak and you have only about three ships carrying as many flight units as your Bunker does. I'd say that you need our help."

2B sighed and looked down. After a second or two, she looked up, "Follow me."

The five of them went to the bridge, 6O was on Lars' seat. "2B?" asked she, "What's up?"

"Get us to command, I need confirmation on something." 2B was put into a call with the Commander, "Commander?"

"I know about Lars' condition, we have all the things set up here. And I am well aware that the Jinzo fleet is on it's way here, the Hotarubi and Isaribi are already here. We are only awaiting the Will-O'the-Wisp."

"That's not what I'm calling for, I'm asking for confirmation for Adam and Eve help in this battle."

The Commander thought for a bit, she then looked up, "Yes, I will allow it. We need all the help we can get. Return to the Bunker first and then we'll discuss more then. You are almost here. I'll see you then."

"Looks like you two will be helping out." said 9S.

"We are arriving." said 91O. "You should get the Commander to the Bunker's medical bay."

The entire medical crew transferred from the ship to the Bunker. A2 and the other two went to the command center with Adam and Eve. The captain of the Hotarubi, Grimm, was there, along with the Isaribi's captain, Whisperer. "Ah, you're here." said the Commander. She began briefing with 2B, 9S, and A2, whilst she did, the other two captains were being very hostile towards Adam and Eve.

"Don't think just because YoRHa's commander trusts you two, we do." said Whisperer.

"You disgust me, machine." stated Grimm.

"Believe me, you're not much of a sight yourself." retorted Eve.

"The feeling is mutual." said Adam.

"That's quite enough." the Commander said suddenly, "In case you haven't noticed, most of the Jinzo's military is on it's way here. It seems that this is a enormous gamble. They want to wipe us out here with their numbers. They've produced more than enough Lancers for their military and even made several ships."

"Will our three ships and all of YoRHa's aerial forces really be enough for most of the Jinzo's army?" asked 9S.

"Well, I had the Hotarubi's crew modify our A.S.P's for space combat, meaning a lot of your troops can now fight in space, just the harpoon guns are out of the question." stated Grimm.

"I also bought Storm along with the Isaribi. His Assault Vehicles will work in space, they'll provide anti-air fire." said Whisperer, she looked at Adam and Eve, "What do they do?"

"I'm giving them flight units." bluntly stated the Commander, "They're modified with different weaponry."

"You can't be serious, did you forget that they could turn against us at any moment? They probably have their own agenda!" shouted Grimm.

"We aren't on  _your_ side. We're with Lars, and yes, we  _do_ have our own agenda." stated Adam.

"See? What's to say they won't betray us?" asked Whisperer.

"Didn't you hear? They're with Lars, and if he trusts them..." she paused for a moment, "...then so do I. This isn't just about us needing all the help we can get, Lars has earned my respect and my trust. His allies are my allies, is... that... clear?" asked White.

"Yes, ma'am." responded Grimm reluctantly. Whisperer scoffed and nodded.

"Good, the Jinzo is estimated to arrive within an hour, I suggest you both get to your ships." she said to the two captains. They both saluted and went back to their ships, "You five are to come with me." She began to walk to the hangar with the others. It didn't take long for them to get there, Eve looked around at all the flight units he saw.

"These look like they're a lot of fun." he stated.

"These aren't for 'fun'." responded the Commander, "Here we are." they arrived at three flight units covered by tarps. "Remove the tarps." 

The tarps were removed to show three new flight units. The one on the left had bigger legs, and didn't seem to have machine guns, swords or missile pods, instead it had something else. "The one on the left has legs for a more close combat situation. It has a system where you can send your energy from you through it's limbs. It is also equipped with particle cannons. We were eventually planning to give you these, I suppose the day has come early." White said to Adam. 

"So... this is mine." chuckled Adam, "I like it."

"What about mine?" asked Eve.

"It's the one on the right." She used her crop to point at a flight unit with bigger arms, it had larger wings with two single shot missile launchers on each side. There was also no sword. "This one is for you, Eve. Just like Adam's, it has a system where you can send energy through your limbs into your unit's limbs. It is also equipped with nuclear torpedoes, make sure no friendly units are around when you use them."

"Yay!" exclaimed Eve, "I get the fun one!" White just groaned, obviously regretting her decision at the moment.

"What about that one?" asked 2B, she pointed at the unit in the middle. It had machine guns mounted on it's arms. Two giant cannons mounted on the top, and three missile pods on each wing, making six in total. It also had two swords, meaning in fighter mode, it has two tails. "Who does that one belong to?"

"Well, it  _was_ supposed to be Lars'. It's the Commander type. This is the pinnacle of our engineering for a vehicle that a human can use. It's armed with three force-field generators, several missiles, all of which can disperse MIRVs, two hyper mega twin smash cannons, and two flight unit swords. To top t all off, only he can use it, any android trying to use it won't be able to even activate it. But seeing the condition he's in, he will not be fighting in this battle." she looked at Adam and Eve, "We'll transfer your units onto the Will-O'the-Wisp, for now, you're on standby."

Adam and Eve nodded and made their way to the Will-O'the-Wisp. "As for you three. Go check on Lars, you might as well visit him. He's your dear friend is he not?" the three nodded, "Get moving, we'll be fighting soon." 

The three walked out of the hanger and made their way to the med-bay. As they walked, they saw the medical crew assigned to Lars in the hallway. "Is Lars in the med-bay?" asked A2.

"No, we healed most of his injuries just a while ago. We transferred him to his room." said 19H. 

"Thanks." said 9S, they began making their way to Lars' room. "Wonder why the Commander's being so lenient?"

"Maybe she's worried, too." responded A2, "Either way, I'm glad we're allowed to visit him. I mean, after seeing the state he's in." At long last, they finally reached Lars' quarters. 2B slid down the door and they were all greeted by a sight by Lars laying in his bed. He had a white blindfold across his eyes, and he was asleep.

"Lars?" asked 2B as she shook him gently awake. He slowly woke up and sat up. He looked around, he really couldn't see.

"2B?" asked Lars, "What're you doing here? I thought White would've put you on standby."

"She let us visit you, how do you feel?" asked 9S.

"Nines? You're here, too?" Lars looked at the source of his voice, "That also means A2 is here. Right?"

"That's correct." A2 sat on the bed next to Lars and gave him a hug."You worried me."

"Sorry, Sral got so much stronger since the first time we fought. I was stupid to think I could hold my own, where's Emil by the way?"

"I sent him to the Resistance base, he should be safe there." responded A2, "I fought Dan for the first time..."

"You did?"

"Yeah, had to use up one of my charges against him." she took out her pocket-watch, it was now on the third numeral. "He was pretty tough."

"I'm glad you guys are safe, and I almost forgot. 2B, can you go over to my cabinet?"

"What for?" asked 2B.

"Well, I have Super-nova lockets, A2 has her berserker locket. There are two more for you and Nines."  2B walked over to the cabinet and opened it up. In there were the last two lockets, along with Lars' Super-nova lockets. 2B picked up the both of them and bought them over. "Do you feel any connection with one of them? Like it was meant for you?" asked Lars.

"I feel... attracted to the white one for some reason. Like I was destined to have it." responded 2B, she put the white one in her hands.

"Then it's yours." said Lars, "ANd what about you?" he asked facing in the direction of 9S.

"Something inside me is telling me to grasp the green one and just keep it with me, I can't explain it. Just like 2B." stated 9S. 2B gave him the other locket and he held it in his hand. "So these will grant us power just like yours and A2's?" 

"Yeah, or something similar. But don't use them immediately, we don't know if they're renewable ones like A2's. For all we know, they could only be a one time use like my Super-novas. So only use them when you're up against really powerful enemies like the other versions of me." 

"You got it." responded 9S. He was about to say something but the alarms of the Bunker went off. 

"The Jinzo are here. All troops, battle stations! Repeat: The Jinzo are here. All troops, battle stations!"

"We better get going." said 2B. She and 9S ran out of Lars' room. A2 looked at Lars' face, she kissed him on the forehead.

"I'll be back. I promise." said she.

Lars nodded and she ran off the join the other two. They ran and they ran, from the hangar, all of the flight units available were being launched. 2B, 9S, and A2 ran to get on to the Will-O'the-Wisp. After they did so, the ship detached along with the two others. The ships all deployed their flight units, Storm's assault vehicles all stationed themselves on the Bunker and the ships' tops and sides. All guns on the ships readied and all missile ports were loaded. YoRHa soldiers wearing modified A.S.Ps all flew out of the ships, all armed with whatever would work in space. 

Inside the Hotarubi, Grimm brought up a zoomed in view. There was the Jinzo fleet, deploying all of the lancers they had.

*Bipolar Nightmare (Vocals)*

"Enemy fleet dead ahead! Sixteen-hundred kilometers, straight ahead!" said one of his operators. 

"Will-O'the-Wisp, Isaribi, can you see the enemy?" asked Grimm.

"Affirmative." responded 6O.

"That's a copy." said Whisperer.

"Good, start by deploying a smoke screen, fire missiles along with the smoke! Let's do this!" he shouted.

The Isaribi and the Will-O'the-Wisp both fired smoke screen missiles and normal missiles. As the smoke missiles were shot down, the smoke screen was successfully created. Out of the smoke, the missiles came through, taking the Jinzo by surprise. The missiles hit their ships, but didn't do that much damage. The Jinzo fleet picked up their speed and their lancer legion began to charge. As they did, all flight units began laying down a flurry of bullets, lasers, and missiles. "Adam, can you use your particle cannons?" asked 2B.

"Let's see... I'm still new to this." responded Adam. "Ah. Here we go." he fired a beam like projectile at a squadron of lancers, absolutely destroying them. "I could get used to this, Eve save your torpedoes for now."

"Hmm? 'kay." said Eve, "What do we do now?" asked he.

"Wait until the enemy gets closer, for now, just shoot your energy." said 9S, "Several squads will go to attack their forces head on." he cut off.

*Transition to Jinzo ships* 

"The armored assault ships are approaching along with their flight units!"

"Our cannons are all loaded! Missile ports are as well!"

"Lancer teams six and seven, please launch."

The captain looked onward in his seat. "We destroy these wretched machines today! Charge!"

The Jinzo ships started to shoot. Whilst they did, both flight units and lancers charged at each other. A flight unit outside shot down a lancer and another and another. It and two others fired a barrage of missiles at a larger squadron, destroying most of them. Their screams heard through the comms before being completely destroyed. Lancer after lancer flew out of the Jinzo ships ports, many of them being destroyed. The Jinzo were already taking heavy losses, the androids were taking less.

“What our losses?" asked 6O to another bridge operator.

"Only seven percent of our forces have been shot down, but they can just reload back at the Bunker, the Jinzo have lost about sixteen percent." responded 91O.

"Alright, we just need to keep this up..." said she. Suddenly, an alert went off.

"Another small fleet is entering the battlefield, the ships have a heart on them! Reinforcements from royals confirmed!" shouted 18O.

"You've got to be kidding me... All squad leaders, Jinzo reinforcements have arrived, good luck!" said 6O over the comms.

*Transition*

"2B! A2! Did you both hear that?" asked 9S.

"Yeah." responded 2B. "We're going ahead, Adam and Eve, time to come up and join the fight."

"We are on the way." responded Adam. 2B, A2, and 9S began charging once again, with all the YoRHa's forces. Adam and Eve joined them within a minute or two and the fighting's intensity grew even more. YoRHa flight units destroyed countless numbers of Jinzo Lancers. Eve ripped a cockpit out and crushed it, then he punched one into several others, annihilating them almost instantly. Adam kicked a Lancer, he then flew over right in front of a Jinzo ship's bridge.

*Inside the bridge*

"Sir!" shouted a pilot.

"Maximum thrust on starboard side! Evade!" screamed the captain. 

"We can't it's too late!"

And that operator was precise. Adam fired a particle shot right through the bridge, killing the bridge's crew and taking the rest of the ship along with it. "That's one down." stated Adam. He looked over to the other androids, fighting to the best of their abilities. A YoRHa soldier fired a missile at a Lancer, destroying it, but through the smoke came another, catching the android by surprise. But Adam quickly flew over and kicked it, the Lancer was sent flying right into 2B's unit's sword. 

"Many thanks." said the soldier.

"It was nothing." responded Adam, "Here come more." an entire battalion Lancers came in, along with two ships, "Eve, I think you should use one of your torpedoes." 

"Okay. But shouldn't YoRHa troops clear the area?" asked Eve whilst he tore a Lancer in half.

"All units, clear sector eight. We are about to use a nuclear arm. A.S.P troops, pin them down and after the missile is shot, get out of there." ordered 2B. All the flight units began to fall back, leaving the soldiers with A.S.P's to lay down covering fire.

"Ha! We're driving them back!" shouted a Jinzo Lancer, many of them went into fighter mode and tried to chase. 

*Jinzo ship*

"Sir! I think they're retreating from this sector." said an operator.

"Good, we'll chase them and-"

"Incoming missile! By God... it's a nuke!"

"What-" the missile had already detonated right in front of the bridge. The captain raised his arms to his face but he was merely incinerated along with the other ship and the legion. 

*Heart ship*

"My liege, our forces have taken heavy losses. About forty-two percent of our forces are down. At this rate-"

"No, we  _have_ to win this one, once we do, then the android's chain of command will be destroyed. A field Commander can't control all of them, plus, they won't be able to be reborn if we destroy their headquarters." said the King. Suddenly he had an idea, "Tell our forces more near their headquarters to come back and surround their frontal forces, we'll chip off their elites one by one and push forward. Our ships will prevent their ships from getting closer."

"Yes, my lord!"

*Transition*

Many of the Lancers on the more interior part of the battlefield went into their fighter modes and began flying back. "What's going on?" asked 6O, "Why are they going back?" 

"We don't know! But we can't chase, they're in a circle formation and not letting any of our forces near them!" shouted 91O.

"Circle formation... They're surrounding our forces nearest to them!" said 21O. 

"Oh no, 2B, 9S, A2." whispered 6O, "Frontal forces! You're going to be surrounded, I will call for reinforcements from the Bunker, please hold out until then!"

*In the Bunker*

"Incoming call!"

"Put it through." responded the Commander. "I want a status report. Now!"

"Our frontal forces are going to be surrounded. Adam and Eve are out there, along with many of our elite troops, we need reinforcements!"

"Tch... Any available flight unit is to be sent out immediately, do  _not_ let them be destroyed, Eve's flight unit takes top priority!" shouted White. Whilst she was ordering everyone, Lars was in his uniform, his blindfold was off, and he clenched his mask. He had heard it all, and he started to make his way to the hangar.

*Transition*

 The soldiers being surrounded started to struggle. A flight unit right next to A2 was shot down. "Damn it!" cursed A2, she cut a Lancer in half, and then stabbed another one.

"We  _really_ need those reinforcements! Or we'll all die!" shouted 9S.

"We have to hold out!" responded another soldier, right after saying that, she was blown apart by a Jinzo Lancer's rifle. 

"Shit..." cursed 2B, "Just a little longer!" her unit's leg was blown off, along with her's, and she screamed in pain.

"2B!" screamed 9S. He quickly flew over to her and began shooting back at Jinzo Lancers, all of which evaded. "You bastards!" he screamed. 9S hacked into one, making it implode and taking the ones around it with it. But only more took their place.

A2 came up and fired her missiles at them, many of them were destroyed but there were still a lot more. Adam and Eve destroyed as many as they could, but even they were starting to get pushed back. Eventually, 2B, A2, 9S, Adam, Eve, and a couple other soldiers were all scrunched together. This seemed like the end.

*Fade*

*Back at the Bunker*

"Why aren't the reinforcements getting there?" asked White.

"Their ships are laying down heavy fire and-" she stopped, "What the? There's an uncleared take-off?" 

"What?" asked White, "Who is it?"

*Gundam 00-Fight*

But it had already launched, it zoomed right out of the Bunker, "It's the Commander type!" shouted the operator.

White looked at the video feed. It really was the Commander type, and the only one who could use it was Lars. "What do you think you're doing!" she screamed. "You're going to get yourself killed! Return immediately!"

Lars' masked face popped up, "Can't do that." responded he, "The Commander type is the only one with enough fire power to punch through that formation. Plus, I can't let them die." he then shut his comms down. White only tightened her fist. A tear came down her face.

"Don't you dare die..." she said silently, "I'll never forgive you if you do..."

*Transition*

Lars evaded several shots from many Lancers. "So fluent. It can follow my every move. The performance... I can do this!" he shouted. Lars fired the machine guns, as the Lancers blocked, Lars fired the two smash cannons. Before the Lancers could react, they were eradicated. Lars kept flying to his friends. Multiple Lancers blocked his path, but Lars used both of his swords and quickly dispatched them. "Gotta make it..." said he as he impaled a Lancer.

*Transition*

2B and the others struggled to evade the shots. "God damn it..." 9S cursed. "A2! You, Adam, and Eve have to get out of here!"

"Can't do that!" A2 responded, "Even if we tried, we'd just get shot down!"

"This'll finally put an end to you! You damn androids!" shouted a Jinzo pilot.

"Captain! New enemy approaching two-hundred meters!"

"What?"

When the Lancer captain turned, two giant beams came shot across the area, destroying most of the squadron. The remaining soldiers looked in the direction of the beams to see the Commander type. It started firing the twin cannons more and more and activated the force-field. "Focus fire on the new enemy!" shouted the captain.

"Sorry, my eyes aren't that good at the moment. But that means I can shoot where ever I want! All troops, evasive action!" the Commander type assumed it's humanoid form, "Fire missile pods one and two!"

"Commencing bombardment." stated the mask. All the missile ports on two of the missile pods opened up and every single missile inside was fired. As the Jinzo Lancers did their best to shoot them down, the missiles all released the MIRVs they had inside. The bits spread across the battlefield, blowing up an entire legion of Lancers. Lars fired at one of their ships, destroying it. 

"Lars! That you?" asked 9S.

"Who else?" responded Lars as he fired another beam, destroying yet another ship. He fired more missiles into more Lancers. "I'm glad I managed to get here in time."

"So are we but, your injuries. Are they even healed yet?" 

"Don't worry about it. Right now I'm here to fight." Lars cleaved a Lancer in half, "I'm going ahead to destroy those ships, back me up." Lars activated his force-field and took all the shots of the Jinzo ships. "Mask, can I get a rundown of Adam and Eve's armaments?"

"Affirmative. Adam's unit is armed with particle cannons, a system for close combat, and a system that let's him use his machine energy while he uses the flight unit. Eve's unit roughly has the same, along with two nuclear torpedoes, one remaining."

"Alright. 2B, go back to the Will-O'the-Wisp and get resupplied and repaired, A2, go with her."

"Understood." responded 2B. She and A2 both went into flight modes and began flying back to the ship. "Now what do we do?" asked 9S.

"Now, we destroy these things." responded Lars, he flew near a ship and fired the smash-cannons, the ship was utterly annihilated. Eve flew to a bridge and punched right through it, he then fired energy shots at it, blowing it up. Adam went behind a ship and destroyed it's engines, he then forced his way into the hangar and destroyed the ship from the inside out.

*Fade*

9S flew to the last ship, "Hacking in!" said he. 9S went into the ship's main systems and destroyed the core. The ship shut down, making it an easy target. Lars and 9S both fired a barrage of missiles. The crew of the ship didn't even see it coming as they were all engulfed in flames. As Adam and Eve destroyed the last few ships, Lars had an idea. 

"Eve, you think you can use up that last nuke soon?"

"Yeah." responded Eve. 

"Good."

*Transition*

2B was being rushed to the med-bay to get her leg repaired. A2 walked alongside her until Varius told her that this was as far as she could go. A2 quickly ran back to the hangar, where her flight unit was re-supplied, both in fuel and missiles. She also saw other flight units coming in, including 9S' and Adam's. She ran over to them as they jumped out. "What's going on?" asked she.

"We've been given a fall back order by Lars, Eve is going to fire the other nuke he has. All our forces are temporarily retreating." said 9S, "We're letting them get close so we can fire our nukes we took. From the data I gathered, this really is somewhat of a final attempt to destroy the Bunker. This is most of their army, and so far, while we keep slowly regaining our forces, they've lost at least forty-three percent of their entire fleet."

"So, we're basically giving them a false sense of security?" asked A2.

"Precisely." responded Adam. Something suddenly shook the ship, they looked outside the hangar to see a bright flash, and several destroyed Jinzo ships and Lancers. In the distance, they saw Lars' unit and Eve's coming back, except Eve's was towing Lars' unit. The both of them landed, Eve jumped out of his unit and opened up Lars' cockpit. Lars fell right out, the wires on his neck disconnecting, Eve caught him. Upon close inspection, Lars was bleeding from the head. 

The others ran right right over, "What happened?" asked A2.

"He got a bit too close to that explosion." responded Eve, "Let's get him to the med-bay, one of you guys should go tell the boss lady."

"I'm on it." responded 9S, he went over to a near by terminal and began notifying the Commander. Whilst he did, the others rushed Lars to the bay. Varius and the others were completely mortified to see Lars, the one who wasn't even supposed to be out in the battlefield, in his current state.

"So what're we doing?" asked A2.

"You're all falling back for now. I need to get resupplied, Lars said my flight unit's job was to get resupplied and help with the bombardment. If there's any left after that, then we go in and finish them off." said Eve. 

"I've informed the Commander of the plan, she approved it, all our ships are heading back. Let's hope it works."

*Jinzo ships*

"My liege! The androids are falling back, should we pursue?" asked an operator.

"Did they run out of ammunition?" asked another.

The King stroked his beard, "Tell all forces to pursue! This is a gamble we must take, we must avenge all the men we've lost in this war!" shouted he.

The Jinzo ships began to follow, Lancers along with them, "This is for our fallen comrades!" many of them shouted.

*Will-O'the-Wisp*

"You're all fixed up, 2B." said Quinn.

"Thanks." responded 2B, she sat back up and saw Lars being rushed in. "Lars?"

Lars opened up one of his eyes, "H-hey, 2B..." he said weakly, "I am in so much trouble..."

"Stay here, we'll be back soon." responded 2B.

"And I'll be waiting..." Lars then passed out. 2B began running to the hangar to her flight unit, which was being repaired.

"2B! Your unit's almost done!" shouted a scanner, "Just some tuning, then you'll be good to go."

"Appreciate it." she ran to the other four, "What's going on?"

"We're drawing the enemy fleet to the Bunker so we can fire our nukes." responded A2. "It's almost time, I'm going back to my unit." she walked back to her unit and prepared for take-off.

"We should do the same." stated Adam, he and Eve boarded their units and both flew off. 2B and 9S did the same.

"Tuning's all done. Good luck!" the scanner jumped off 2B and 9S both took off. They were greeted by the sight of all the flight units in small formations. All five of them joined a small team and prepared to bombard the enemy. The Jinzo ships drew closer now more than ever.

*Inside the Bunker*

"Commander! The enemy is in range!"

"FIRE!" shouted White. Many of the missile ports the Bunker opened and out came nuclear missiles. Every YoRHa team fired every single missile they had, Eve fired his two nuclear torpedoes and Adam fired the particle rays. The three ships fired their last remaining missiles. Explosions lit up the entire battlefield as all the Jinzo fleet was slowly annihilated in the blast. The Jinzo ships were exploding, the nuclear arms really were YoRHa's ace-in-the-hole. After the explosion was done, not a single ship remained. The battle was over, and YoRHa had won.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jinzo Lancers use handheld guns and blades.


	35. Justice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle in space is over, most of the Jinzo army is gone. The war will soon be over, but one can never expect what will happen next.

Ever since the battle in space had ended two days ago, things only got worse for the Jinzo. Without most of their army, what was left of their territories were taken by the Resistance or YoRHa. In the city of Avalon, inside the council room, the remaining royals except Sral were all arguing on what to do next, "We must surrender! Else all of our people will be slaughtered!" shouted the Ace of Hearts.

"Don't be ridiculous! Your father was killed, and you want to taint his image by surrendering?" asked the Queen, her mother.

"There will be no surrendering!" shouted the Jack of Hearts, "As long as we destroy their chain of command, then they can't fight!"

"How can we fight when most of our army is gone?! We're using children at this point!" retorted the Ace.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!!" screamed Lucas, the King of Spades. "We need to stop arguing and figure out what to do next! How can we fight without most of our military, and keep our people safe?"

"We still have the other versions of Sral." stated the Jack of Spades. "I'm sure if he just orders them, then they'll-"

"He's done enough..." growled the King, "I trusted him and he has let me down. Need I remind you that  _he_ is the one who said we should use most of our military, and look how well that turned out!" he shouted, Lucas saw that he had scared the Jack, "Apologies... I raised my voice." said he.

"N-no, I over-stepped my boundaries, forgive me." said he, "But, what should we do? We've been shown that the machines have practically been rendered useless. They're too outdated."

Suddenly, the holographic display in the center of the room lit up. No image showed up, but Dan's voice spoke. "Enough of your bickering. I will go take Lars down and destroy YoRHa."

"But, Dan-" the Queen of Spades was cut off.

"Any of you follow me, and you die." said he before the screen cut off. Outside the city walls, Dan walked followed by an entourage of his machines. "So, will I be able to change my fate?" he asked himself.  

*Transition*

Over the past two days, YoRHa and the Resistance have been gaining victory upon victory. Partly because the Jinzo hardly have a military left, the machines they're using aren't as big as a threat anymore as well. Lars' eyes slowly healed, until eventually, he could see completely again. When he finally got his blindfold taken off, he was met with his friends, Adam and Eve included. The Commander was also present, "How are your eyes?" asked she.

"They're great. My eyes, seem to be just fine again." responded Lars.

"Then let's get the eye-sight test underway. You also have to get your spine replaced, a surgery is in order. Your growth will not stop, you've grown two inches."

"A new back? Alrighty, then."

"2B, A2, and 9S you will also be equipped with new spines, you can now jump higher and run at a faster maximum speed." said the Commander.

The other three nodded and headed to the operating rooms, Lars walked to the testing/operating room.

*Fast Forward*

The test and operation was over, and Lars was given the all clear to go. As he walked out of the operating room, there were the other four, A2 had his long-coat in her arms, and the 9S had his arm. Lars took all of it and went back into his room to change. When he came out, the first thing he noticed was A2's hair and height. "Your hair, it's growing longer again. And you're a bit taller." A2 touched it and saw that it was about below shoulder level now, she also noticed she and 2B were about five-nine now, 9S was now Lars' height again.

"I guess you're right." she responded.

"Well, I think it's time that we head back to Earth." said Adam, "See you there." he and Eve teleported while Lars opened up a portal. When they got down to the Resistance camp, Lars took a nice deep breath of the Earth air. Devola and Popola caught sight of the six of them and made their way over. 

"You're safe..." said Devola.

"We're really glad." stated Popola.

"We haven't heard from you since before you headed to Avalon. How are you doing?" asked Devola.

"I suppose I'm fine, my eyes are back to normal, seems I'm in fighting shape again." responded Lars

"Not to mention your height." said Popola, "You've gotten taller, haven't you?"

"That's right. So, enough talk, what can we do to help out around the camp?"

"For starters, can you all help us with a little storage organizing?" asked Devola.

"Sure thing." said 9S, "Just lead the way."

The eight of them headed towards the storage area. It was quite a mess, but with the help from Lars and his friends, they all made quick work of it. Lars and his friends spent the rest of the day helping out around the camp, Lars even talked to Emil for a bit. When night fell, time came for Adam and Eve to leave, "We'll gather more information on the Jinzo's next move, you can call on us anytime should you need help, until then." said Adam.

He and Eve waved goodbye before teleporting away to their domain. Lars looked up into the sky and looked at the stars. "I think I'm gonna shower." said he.

"Me and 2B are going to do some recon, you wanna come?" asked 9S to A2.

"I'll stay here, see you in the morning." responded A2.

"Later." said Lars. 2B and 9S waved as they left the camp. Lars headed toward his room, he took a nice, long shower and rinsed all the sweat and dust off of himself. When he came out, he sat down and waited for food to be delivered. A2 walked through his door, pulled up a chair, and then sat in front of him. 

"So, any word from command on what our next mission is going to be?" asked A2.

"Nothing yet." responded Lars, "I wonder when we'll be fighting any of the other versions of me again. If we lose..."

A2 put her hand on his shoulder and lifted his head so her eyes could look into his, "We won't lose next time. We'll be prepared, and we'll grasp victory, I promise it."

"Yeah, I needed that." responded Lars. Just then, the door opened, and Popola walked through with a box. "Thanks." said Lars he opened up the box and saw rice with seaweed and cooked salmon."Can't remember the last time I had a bento."

"Oh, well then, I hope you enjoy it." smiled Popola, she left the room. Lars enjoyed his meal, and afterwards he brushed his teeth and decided to go to bed. A2 also decided to quickly wash herself and change into clothes more fit for sleeping. 

"Good night, A2."

"Good night, Lars, I love you."

"Love you, too."

And with that, they both quickly fell asleep. 

 

"Hello Lars."

Lars opened his eyes to see that he was in an ocean of stars. Upon closer inspection, he realized that he was indeed in space. "Where are you, Dan?" asked he.

"I see you've recognized my voice." Dan materialized right before his eyes. "So, you wondering why you and I are here?" 

"Yeah, better yet, I'm wondering why the hell I haven't tried to kill you yet. I still can't forgive what you made 2B do!" he shouted.

"That's why I bought you here." stated Dan.

"What? Explain yourself!"

"And I will. When we first met, I thought of you as nothing but a pure villain, one that I reviled and needed to exterminate immediately. However, over time, I see that you're just a person who wants to go home. Even if it meant killing several people to do so. So here I was, thinking to myself, you indeed  _are_ a villain, but redeemable. I know you saved a small Jinzo family of three. Believe me when I say that the Jinzo is not that different from the monsters that I swore to destroy. Especially Sral, you remember what he was like the first time you met him?"

"Yeah, all idealistic and being a white knight." responded Lars, "Now he's all about wanting to kill me, even uses me as a reason to justify using kids as soldiers."

"Precisely, and that is why I left him. I said you're redeemable, so the way I see it, you have two choices. Join me in destroying both the androids, and Sral's government, then aid me in guiding the people to justice. The other option is for me to send you home right now, you can leave all this behind, and just live your life normally."

"No. I'm not choosing either of those options."

"Mind telling me why?"

"One, I will  _not_ destroy the androids I've already sided with. Two, if I leave, then the life of peace I have in my own world won't last. It's on the verge of a war once again, if that were to happen, my world would be finished. If I don't bring the androids out of this pointless world and into my own, then I truly won't have a home to go to."

"I see, then fine. We are going to have one last fight, bring your comrades and meet me in the desert in tomorrow at mid-night. No strings attached. Don't be late."

"Desert? Where in the desert?"

Dan did not answer, all he did was fade away, and Lars began to fall down to the Earth.

 

His eyes opened and looked out his window, it was now morning. A2 was still snoring softly, Dan's words echoed through Lars' head. He got up from the bed and quickly went over to the bathroom. After he washed up and got dressed, he went over to wake A2 up. "Good morning." said he.

A2 sat up and rubbed her eyes a bit. "Morning." she got up and stretched, even without her heels, she was still a bit taller than Lars now due to her new spine, "Lemme go get dressed." After a minute or two, she came out in her armor. "Dream of anything weird again?"

"How'd you know?"

"I was right, huh? Mind telling me what it was?"

"Dan visited me in my dream."

A2 immediately shot Lars a look, "What did he say?" asked she, now clearly concerned.

"Gave me an offer to leave or join him. I chose neither, so he told me that we would have one last fight, in the desert. 'Meet me in the desert at mid-night' he said."

"And if it's a trap?" 

 "It won't be, he's a 'Hero of Justice' remember? I doubt he would stay with Sral, him being who he is. I mean, using child soldiers?"

"Yeah, so what do we do?"

"Well, I can't go to the desert in this clothing." Lars looked at his body. He had a long-coat and pants on, clothing not even close to being fit for the desert in the day. "First things first, breakfast." Lars sat back down and waited. After a few minutes, Devola entered the room with a sandwich. "Thanks." said Lars as he took a bite.

"You're welcome, just leave the plate on your desk, I'll come by later to pick it up." responded Devola as she left the room. Lars finished up his breakfast.

"We should meet up with 2B and Nines before we discuss this any further." said Lars.

"Understood." responded A2.

They left the building. As they did, 2B and 9S entered the camp. As soon as 9S saw Lars, a smile spread across his face, "Morning." said he.

"Morning, Nines. How was recon?" responded Lars.

"Not much happened, you know, it's  _just_ recon." 

"Yeah, did you two by chance go to the desert?"

"No, why?" asked 2B.

"Dan visited me in is dream." said Lars, the atmosphere all of the sudden got very dark around them. 2B grimaced a bit, and 9S was only shocked. "One final fight in the desert he said. He also said no strings attached."

"And if he's lying?"

"He isn't, him being a 'Hero of Justice' and all. Either way, we're heading there. But, there is  _no_ way I can survive in the desert with these clothes. So we go at noon, also need to resupply my bag and all that."

"Don't we need to find him first? The desert isn't exactly small, you know?" spoke 9S.

"Yeah, I know. That's why I'm going in a flight unit. I'll scout from an aerial view, he said the fight will begin in mid-night."

"Why at mid-night?" questioned 2B.

"I won't be able to fight in such intense heat. It's still the desert, plus I fight better in the cold."

"Then it's settled." stated A2, "We head out at noon?" 

"Yup." said Lars. "Now, lemme go resupply." he quickly went over to Popola, who filled his pack up with more nutrition bricks and water bottles. After that, Lars and his friends waited out until noon came.

"It's time." said 2B.

"Yeah. I'll meet you guys in the desert. Anywhere I can send you guys?" asked Lars to his friends.

"The oasis, here are the co-ordinates." 9S said as he sent them over. 

"Co-ordinates received. Marking on map." said Lars' mask, he put it on and opened a portal to the oasis. 2B, 9S, and A2 all walked in. Lars walked outside of the camp, and contacted the Will-O'the-Wisp.

"91O here, what do you need?" asked she.

"Send the Commander type to my location."

"Yes, sir. 91O out." 

A roar of an engine could be heard as Lars saw the flight unit flying overhead. It activated it's mobile configuration, Lars donned his mask and stepped into the cockpit. "All systems online." said his mask as the wires of his unit plugged into the modules in his neck and Lars began his flight to the desert. It didn't take long at all for Lars to arrive at the oasis. It was in the desert, but was adorned with palm trees, a few bushes, a small body of water, and even a bit of grass. He landed his unit and got out, as expected, 2B, A2, and 9S were already there. Two other androids was also present, they went with the trio to greet Lars.

"Hello, sir. I am 79D, this is my partner, 92S." said the android. The scanner waved. "We heard that you are going to scout the desert and come back, so we set up a tent." 

"Thanks, but I intend to destroy him, right now. I need his soul." responded Lars. He quickly waved goodbye and hopped into his flight unit. Lars began scouting the desert, machines got in his way and began firing at him, so Lars fired the smash cannons and immediately incinerated them. He still soared through the skies, more machines found him and began trying to attack him. But they were no match for Lars, who after dispatching them, flew off one more. Until finally, he found Dan in the center of the desert. Lars fired both smash cannons and several missiles at Dan. When the smoke cleared, there stood Dan, a force-field up.

"Now, now. It isn't midnight yet. I see you're still a villain, do you really think you can beat me in that thing?" asked Dan. He lowered his force-field, "Honestly, I'm insulted. Come back later."

"Tch, fine." responded Lars. He flew back to the oasis. The others walked over to his landing flight unit.

"We heard the smash cannons being fired, what happened?" asked 9S.

"Didn't work, Dan just blocked them. That's three magics down. Judging from my dream, he can also open portals, that's universe, time, and force-field. I wonder if he has a fourth." stated Lars, "We have to work on a strategy, or else we won't win. You three fought him right?"

"Actually, we fought Pallad, Dan, and Kuro at the same time." responded 9S, "We somehow managed to get away since A2 used one of her charges. 2B and I are still saving mine, judging from the fact we don't know how many times it can be used. For all we know, it could be a single use."

"Yeah, worse case scenario. One of us will have to use our charges." said Lars.

"It won't be you." said A2 suddenly. "One, we can't risk you wasting one of the lockets because you ran out of time. Two, your blood may get tainted again, this time, we might not be able to get it out of you in time." 

"Alright lets try and avoid using them all together. Let's start us begin." 

Lars and his comrades spent the rest of the day making their plan, "We know he can stop time and put force-fields up. And can also use utilize his portals for combat. " said Lars, "We need to somehow counter them. I can only hope he has three magic traits."

"You can use your portals against his." suggested 9S, "Say if you throw your dark lances at him and he opens a portal to send them back, you can do the same thing. Or with any other ranged attacks. But it'll ride on your reaction timing, you alright with that?"

"Yeah, I am. What about his time and defense abilities?"

"We'll just have to defeat him quickly." said A2, "I still have ten charges left. I don't mind using them a few more."

"Fine, if it really calls for it, then do it. We'll just have to beat him quickly." Lars took a look at the time, it was already six P.M. The sun was starting to set.

"You'd better get some sleep. You probably won't get any tonight." said 2B.

"You're right, see you guys tonight." Lars walked into his tent and began eating some bricks. After he drank his water, he removed his boots and all his gear and climbed into the little cot. He shut his eyes and waited. When he fell asleep, he woke up in that star-field again. "This place again?" asked he.

"Hello, again." said Dan, suddenly appearing behind Lars. "It's almost midnight."

"Wait, what?" asked Lars, "I hardly been here a minute."

"Yes, but here, time is distorted, you've been asleep for six hours already. You should wake up right around now." The moment Dan said that, Lars was thrown out of that realm and back into real life. His eyes opened to see A2 gently shaking him awake.

"It's mid-night." she whispered, You ready to head out?"

"Yup, you have my two other sword?" asked Lars.

A2 nodded, "Right here." She materialized Lars' modified Type-4O sword and Emil's blade. Lars fastened all three of this swords onto his waist. On the left side were two of the swords, on the back part of his waist was Caim's sword. He had his gun and his mask attached on his right, now he was fully armed. He extended his arm blade and the blue lightning flashed, he was ready. "Let's go, 2B and 9S are waiting for us."

Lars and A2 walked out of the tent, it was significantly colder now. 2B and 9S were both waiting, and the other two androids looked as if they were going as well. "We're coming along, sir." said 79D, "From what we've heard, your opponent is incredibly powerful." She had a Type-4O Lance and a standard issue YoRHa sword. Her partner held two pistols, both with grenade launchers and scopes.

"Scanners use guns?" asked Lars.

"Scanners can have a variety of weapons, they can all still hack, though, and do recon." responded 92S. "Shall we go, Commander?" asked he.

"Yup, let's move out!" shouted Lars, he opened a portal to the middle of the desert. The six of them stepped through and saw Dan standing there, his machines took one look and then tried to attack. 79D quickly came and blocked with her lance, and then she threw it, impaling two machines. 92S shout several down and hacked one, the following explosion took those around that machine down. 2B and 9S fired their pods' lasers and A2 just smashed their heads in. Lars only needed to shoot one dark copy of himself into several and the rest were destroyed. "Machines, Dan? Really?"

"Sending organic beings to their death isn't my style. Never was, fine with it. So why use men who might run when I can use machines which know nothing but loyalty?" asked Dan, "Anyway, it's past mid-night. Time to get this started." He drew his sword and materialize his shield.

*Justice (Kamen Rider Ex-Aid)*

"I name is Dan Murasaki. Only one of us will make it out."

"Name's Lars Alexandersson, the one to make it out, won't be you!" Lars was first to charge forward, his friends and allies behind. Dan dashed forward and met Lars' blade head on with his shield. Lars was knocked back and quickly put his mask on, immediately, all ten of the tendrils came out and connected to Lars' neck. The others began to attack Dan, he deflected their blades, dodged bullets, and slashed back, each swing making small cuts. 2B shot one of her combat bracers at Dan, it hit him in the stomach and he stumbled back with a grunt. 79D appeared behind him in attempt to end him, but his eyes lit up green and she stopped. 

"What the-?" asked 9S, Dan evaded the lance he was about to fall into and blocked bullets from Pod-153 and 92S. A2, 2B, and Lars all appeared behind him and were going to attack. But Dan was quick to open up a portal leading to 9S and 92S. The three went straight through and managed to stop their attack before hitting the scanners. Lars quickly threw three dark-lances.

"Don't learn do you?" asked Dan. He opened a portal and another on both sides. The lances went in one and came out the other. But Lars opened his own portals, the lances went in and out the other. "What?" Dan barely had time to block them, he managed to hit two aside, the other one struck him in the shoulder. He looked up to see 2B in the air, her large sword in hand. "Tch." Dan grabbed the frozen 79D, unfroze her, and threw her at 2B. 79D crashed into 2B and they both fell to the floor. 

"What happened?" asked 79D.

"You were frozen in time, careful!" shouted Lars.

"Only if I cut you freshly, then I can freeze you." stated Dan. He shot his shield outward and the three whips came out. Almost everyone evaded, but 92S was too late. He was impaled by the tendrils. He made some kind of gurgling noise.

"Sending... data... to Bunker...." he said as he was ripped apart by the tendrils. His limbs and body parts flew in different directions. Artificial blood stained Lars' masked face. 

"BASTARD!" screamed 79D. She drew both her lance and her sword and charged forward. 

"Wait!" shouted A2. Alas, her warning couldn't get through to her ally. She thrusted her lance forward, Dan hit the lance with his shield and stabbed 79D through her chest. 

"Pod! Upload the data of Unit 79D!" shouted 9S.

"Affirmative. Uploading." chimed Pod-153, a few short beeps could be heard, "Uploaded."

"That's two down." stated Dan, "Let's continue." 

"Shit. Keep this up, and we might lose..." cursed 9S.

"I know, but stay calm. We can do this." responded Lars The four began running again. A2 and 2B jumped and flipped over Dan. He turned back and started blocking their attacks, but from behind him, 9S began controlling his sword's movements through the air. Dan began parrying behind him, Lars also began his attacks. Dan began to struggle defending against all four of their attacks at once. He eventually activated his force-field. He then opened a portal beneath himself and hopped through. He re-appeared near the remains of 92S and shot the tendrils out from his shield.

The three androids evaded whilst Lars activated his force-field and deflected them. When he closed it, Lars swung his sword into the air. Four circles appeared on front, back, left, and right. Then, out of the ground shot out several dark spikes, going in different directions. One of them stabbed into Dan's leg. He tried to get away but couldn't. He saw 2B charging in with her lance. He twisted his body to evade and gave her small cut. Dan's eyes flashed green and 2B was frozen in the same position, he managed to free himself from the pike and was going to kill 2B, but A2 swung her sword-mace right at him. Dan blocked in time, but was knocked back.

He slid against the sand as he landed. He was on his knees, but he just wiped some blood off his mouth, "I see, time for me to get serious." said he.

"Oh no..." stated Lars. Dan threw something into the air and green light flashed everywhere. Dan disappeared and reappeared right in front of 2B and A2. Several cuts found themselves on A2, and she quickly fell to the ground. She tried to use one of her charges, but as she grabbed it, the pocket-watch disappeared. Dan had it in his hand and he stabbed A2 through the back. "A2!!!" screamed Lars.

"I'll... I'll be fine..." groaned A2. Dan disappeared again and reappeared right in front of Lars. He tried to slash, but his sword was knocked right out of his hand. Lars drew his two other swords and began attacking, but Dan was too fast. He was manipulating his own time, Dan sped up his own time. Both the other swords were knocked out of his hands. So Lars activated his time-manipulation and began using his arm-blade. For a while, he began to keep up with Dan, though he was taking a number of hits, but it's not like he could feel it.

While all this was happening, 9S was applying staunching gel to A2's wound. He looked back to see that Lars was frozen and Dan broke off the blade, he then stabbed Lars in the stomach with it, removed his mask, and unfroze him. Lars felt all the agonizing pain and fell to the floor. He grasped the broken blade in an attempt to pull it out. But he was just kicked down by Dan. 9S got up and Pod-153 began shooting a stream of bullets. Dan blocked or evaded them and appeared right in front of 9S. Dan slashed 9S once and froze him. "Please, do not think of me too badly." The clock appeared right underneath the both of them The short hand landed on 9S at the sixth numeral, and Dan outward kicked 9S. As he unfroze, blood spurted from 9S' head.

Finally, Dan walked over to 2B, still frozen in time. The clock appeared beneath the both of them once again. The short hand landed on the third numeral. Dan swung his leg, but this time, it hit 2B's stomach. She was sent off her feet, but froze a second after she was mid-air. Dan snapped his fingers and she fell the the floor, groaning as she felt every inch of pain. "This fight... is over." said Dan, "I'm sorry Lars, but it's time to die. You and your friends."

"N-no. It can't end this way..." said Lars weakly, "This can't be happening."

"Well, it is, and now, justice will take place, you and your friends will die here." responded Dan, "I'm sorry it had to be this way."

*Fade*

"No..." said 9S all of the sudden getting back up. "I won't lose against you..." he panted, "I can't forgive you... NOT FOR HOW YOU MADE 2B SUFFER!." 9S grabbed his locket and crushed the gem that was inside. The moment he did, an explosion of water and green light filled much of the desert. Dan covered his eyes, as did everyone else. When they opened, it seemed that they were no longer in the desert, instead they seemed to be standing on an endless body of water. The night sky was a a deep green, the crescent moon was a pale white. The color of the sky was reflected in the water, it too seemed green.

*Innocent Trap-(Tetra Fang)*

"A reality marble?" asked Dan, "What can you do with a mental landscape?"

"A lot." chuckled 9S, his visor was gone, instead of a stormy blue, his eyes were now an emerald green. His right arm was coated with a green armor. Even 9S' sword was now a green blade instead of black and gold. "Lars, can I borrow your gun?" asked he.

Lars threw his gun over to 9S. The moment he grasped it, bubbles formed around the gun and popped. The gun looked completely different now, it now looked much more decorated, with some kind of rotator in front of the trigger. Immediately, 9S fired it at Dan. He blocked the bullets made of water, but the force kept knocking his shield almost out of his hand. Dan disappeared and reappeared with his time magic. But before he could slash 9S, his blade was caught in a barrier of water coming out of the lake they stood on. "Let's not have anymore of that." said 9S with a smile. The sky flashed and boomed with lightning, then rain began to fall. Dan tried to go super-speed but couldn't.

He was hit back by 9S and landed, "I see, you control everything here. And you just removed my time field, didn't you?" asked he.

"That's right. Through using this power, I learned that this is the power of madness. Nothing makes sense, like how rain can clear magic fields, or how water can stop a blade,  and the sky is green!" maniacally laughed 9S. He ran forward, shooting potshots at which Dan dodged or blocked with his best efforts. "But, I'm not going to take all your magic, I'm gonna make you suffer!" 

"Nonsense..." muttered Dan, he tried to jump back, but he couldn't move. He realized that he was slowly sinking into the water. He looked up to see 9S, running full speed at him, sword in his hand. "This water, it's like quicksand? Damn it..." Dan splashed and splashed until he fell through the water. Dan realized he could breath and swam underneath 9S, but as he passed him, he was joined underwater. 9S charged forward with his sword and met Dan's blade head on. They began going back and forth, 9S' eyes flashed green and they were both lifted out of the water. They burst through the surface into the rainy night, and there they levitated. Dan hit 9S back with his shield and shot the tendrils. 

"Not gonna be like 92S!" shouted 9S. He fired the water bullets, and they shattered the tendrils. 9S flew up and dove down onto Dan. Upon impact, Dan and 9S were sent down into the water once again. But now, they were both sinking, until they reached the other side. 9S controlled his sword in the air, Dan kept blocking with his force-field and ran up to 9S and managed to score a cut across 9S' chest. 9S held his wound, he removed his uniform and tossed it aside. He raised his armored arm and bits of water came up from the surface. They all took form of bullets as they all shot forward, along with shots the 9S was also firing.

Dan raised his force-field and waited for the projectiles to hit. But instead of bouncing off, they went right through and hit him all over the body. His confusion was not long-lasted as he saw 9S dive under the water and jump out right behind him. He turned and his shield was hit out of is hand, it sunk right into the lake. Dan had lost a big part of his defense. He looked up to see 9S diving down on him again, but this time, Dan slashed 9S down into the water. 9S came back up and snapped his fingers. Instead of slowly sinking into the lake, Dan just fell right through. He couldn't breath anymore and realized that it had the properties of normal water again. He struggled to get back to the surface, but 9S soared through the water and pushed the both of them into the original side they were on.

Lars and 2B watched in amazement as the fight raged on. A2 was grabbed by Lars and dragged over to him and 2B. Right when Dan and 9S came back through, she regained consciousness. "Wh-what? What's happening?" she asked. 

"Look..." responded Lars. A2 saw that 9S and Dan were floating in the air, their blades struck each other, the sound of metal against metal boomed across the entire space. 9S was knocked back, his sword flying out of his hand. The blade sank right into the water and the hilt stayed up. 9S began to just rely on the fire power from the gun. He was quick to fire, Dan was quick to evade, but had no time to move forward. Shot after shot came and Dan kept dodging until 9S eyes glowed green and a flash of lightning came and struck Dan down. 

He fell into the water. As he was dazed, he saw his shield and quickly swam over to it. He burst out of the water and smashed right into 9S with his shield, upon impact, 9S was sent into the water. Just as 9S went though the water, several bullets flew up, forcing Dan to out up his force-field to deflect them. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning came down and struck the water, electrifying it. 9S came back out, covered in lightning. He smashed into Dan and electrified the both of them. "Damn you!" shouted Dan as he kicked 9S. The android was sent down into the water. But, this time Dan pursued.

"The same tricks won't work!" he spat. He dove into the water and looked around.

"Fine, how about some different ones?" responded 9S. The water went from being a dark-clear green, to pure murky. Dan couldn't see much, but from what he could see, there were now several clones of 9S. They all swam around and began shooting at him. The bullets were somehow moving through the water, despite being made out of water themselves. Dan was hit several times until he was forced out of the water. The bullets still came up, now Dan was dodging both lightning from the sky and water bullets. 

"Damn it all..." 9S emerged out of the water, along with his clones, and began firing a barrage of shots. This time, the shots were concentrated on Dan's left side, where his arm was connected to his torso. The force of all the bullets tore his arm clean off, he screamed and looked up to see 9S' blade through the air, going straight for him. Dan saw this and deflected it with his own sword. The green Cruel Oath was knocked back but the attacks kept on coming. With one arm, Dan was having much more trouble now. 9S tackled Dan once again and this time, they landed on the water, which was now apparently very shallow. 9S still managed to dive underneath. This time, Dan had no way of knowing where 9S was. He frantically looked around and raised his force-field.

9S finally emerged from the water and started laughing. "That's not going to help you!!" he cackled. The rain fell even harder as Dan's force-field disintegrated. Now, at full speed, 9S charged at Dan. His sword broke Dan's blade right off the hilt this time and kept on attacking. Dan continued to block with his broken sword until 9S shot it right out of his hand. Now, Dan was completely defenseless. And 9S was close enough, he ran his blade right through Dan's chest, just missing his heart. As he pulled the blade out, blood spilled from the wound, and in an instant, everything was back to normal. There was no sign of water anywhere, just sand, and the desert night. The reality marble wore off, and Dan was finished.

*Song ends around here*

Dan sank to his knees. "Seems you've won..." he coughed. "As expected using a power given to you by God himself..." surprisingly, he smiled a bit.

"What're you smiling for?" asked 9S, "Aren't you going to give me some words of 'justice'?"

"No, we both know..." he coughed some more, "That it'd be nothing but a  wast of time... seems I couldn't change fate after all..."

"What do you mean?"

"Here." Dan materialized a large book. "This is the Book of Fates... it tells how everything goes... and exactly on this night, I would meet my end at the hands of you, 9S..."

"W-what?" 9S was confused, as was Lars, who was listening. "You knew you were going to die?"

"That is correct. It didn't mean that I went easy on you six... after all, I killed two of your comrades. I was fighting my hardest to change my fate... After all, if I die, who will uphold true justice?" he looked up at 9S, "But, it seems I failed, you really were too powerful for me."

"That makes no sense, how can you say you fought your hardest and still know you're going to die? Isn't it better to spare yourself the pain?" 

"I never said that fate couldn't be broken..." his smile disappeared, and his body slouched a bit more, "But I thought  that there would be two outcomes. If I won, then I would go take all the other me's down and save the people of Avalon and then save people in other universes. But if I lost, I would at least be granting you some closure. After all, I know you love her..."

9S stayed silent for a while, "Yeah, I do... that's why I couldn't forgive you. But now, I have my satisfaction in killing you, and yet..." a tear came down his eye, "You still look too much like Lars for me to fully enjoy this."

"Heh... Tears don't suit you, Nines."

"Shut up..."

"You were always my friend from the start... I just regret pushing you away..."

"W-what?"

"Take the book, whether you read it or not, is up to you..."

"But what do you mean? Tell me!"

"I just wanted to be... a hero... of Justice..."

9S stopped his curiosity for one moment, "You already were." said he.

"You... really think so...?" and with those final words, his life extinguished. Dan Murasaki was dead, a green energy floated out of his body and into Lars. Memories rushed into him as well. 

9S looked at the book and picked it up. He dematerialized it and quickly looked over to the other three. "Guys!" he ran over to them, "You all alright?"

"We're holding up, but it's over. That's one down and three more to go, contact Anemone, we need a transport back." responded Lars.

And just like that, the night in the desert had ended. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If Dan is dead, yow know what that means...  
> This story is almost ending.  
> And Lars and 9S are about 5'5 now.  
> And yes, Dan died on both his knees.


	36. The History of Dan Murasaki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After gaining Dan's soul, Lars has gained his memories, along with what Dan had found out about the others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up: short chapter, 'nuff said.  
> Boy that's a long title...

A day had passed ever since Dan died. The androids had maintenance done on them, and Lars recovered rather quickly. Just like A2, 9S had a talk with God himself, and learned of a new ability. Right now, he was walking through the hallway of the Will-O'the-Wisp to deliver the news. He looked in the weight room and heard a few voices inside. When he walked in, the entire medical team, the Romura's included. Lars was running on a treadmill, "Mile complete, heart beat, normal." said 19H, "This concludes our test."

Another android looked at her screen, "Commander, your body is back in shape. You have benched four hundred and fifty pounds, which is your limit. Quite impressive for a fourteen year old human. According to old human documents, many others your age can't even make it past two-hundred. The mile you ran was just under seven minutes as well." said she.

"Huh, I've slowed down a bit. Usually, I run under  _six_ minutes. Guess I'm a bit rusty." he chuckled as he took a swig of water.

"We'll be leaving now. Have a good day, sir." responded the android. The medical crew left the room, leaving only 9S.

"Hey, Lars." said 9S.

"Oh, Nines. Good to see you." 

"A mile in under six minutes? That's pretty impressive." stated 9S.

"Yeah, I've slowed down quite a bit. It's been a while since I ran a timed mile. Usually the running we do is just us making our way through something. Or we're going somewhere, and a lot of times we walk." said Lars, "Hold on, let's talk somewhere else after I wash up and change."

"I'll be right here." responded 9S. He waited for Lars to take a brief shower and changed into his long-coat.

"Sure am glad Devola and Popola don't mind fixing it up so many times."

"The materials  _are_ provided by YoRHa, your uniform is made of the same material of the normal uniform. So they basically have unlimited materials to work with." 

"Sure am glad for that as well then. Come on, let's talk in my room, I think A2 and 2B are already there. But first, what did you want to tell me?"

"Well, you know how A2's report of speaking to God was due to her using one of her charge?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, after I used the power of my locket, I also had a talk with him."

"So, what did he say?" 

"Well, apparently, Cruel Oath retained it's color." 9S materialized his sword, it was still what it looked like on that night, green replacing the gold parts. "Not only that, but I can also control water, and make reality marbles, even if it's only lasts for no more than three minutes." said he.

"That's awesome. And it'll give us a huge advantage if we're fighting against the other guys. Speaking of them, we have to talk about what I saw that night."

"Sounds good to me, let's go."

*Fast Forward*

A2 and 2B were waiting inside Lars' room. He had something to tell them all, and it sounded pretty important. "Wonder when he'll be here." said A2.

"Who knows, after all, he had to run a few tests." responded 2B, "He'll be here soon."

Right after she said that, the door swung open and Lars walked in along with 9S. "Hey A2, hey 2B." said Lars. He closed the door behind him, and took his shoes off. 9S did the same. Lars sat on his bed and A2 sat next to him. 9S sat down on a chair while 2B remained leaned against the wall, one leg pressed against it and her arms still crossed. "Alright, we're all here. Now about what I saw. After gaining Dan's soul."

"Let's hear it." said 2B. "Pod, start recording."

"Affirmative." stated Pod-042, a little beep started the video.

"When I got Dan's soul, his memories flooded into me. What I saw shocked me quite a bit. Nines, do you remember what Dan said to you? About you always being his friend?"

"Yeah, something about him regretting pushing me away?"

"Exactly, according to these memories, he was thirty-six. Hence why he looked a bit older and more like Caim. That means he's been alive for longer. Like me, he was sent to a world like the one we're in right now. His world is incredibly similar to mine, but here, there was no World War Three in his old life. Instead, on his sixth birthday, bandits broke into his home and Dan's parents hid him but were killed right in front of him. There was nothing he could do about it, because he was originally an Natural, the term for a non-magical person."

"Wait, hasn't magic been around for as long as humans been around in your world?" asked 9S.

"Yeah, but there was a stage where only Naturals were born, going from the fifteenth century to the twentieth, when magic finally resurfaced. No one knows why only Naturals were born for a couple hundred years. It's now called 'The Era of Naturals'."

"Why are the people without magic called Naturals? Isn't magic natural?"

"Yeah, but since the end of the medieval era, all the old magic users died off and new people started to forget. Eventually, when magic starting to resurface, the people who were born into the era without magic were called naturals because magic _wasn't_ natural anymore."

"We are getting off track." stated 2B, "Keep going."

"Right, anyway. So Dan was a Natural, and he got his magic via artificial ways. That happened when he was dragged into the world that is very similar to the one we're in right now. Except this time, he found by Adam and Eve before YoRHa, but they were never enemies here. The both of them already proved that they were allies, so they were excepted. Adam, instead of being obsessed with hatred, was obsessed over Justice. He taught Dan everything and even was the one to gift him with his magic. And eventually, Dan met the androids of YoRHa, and made the same friends I have now, except for A2. The machines were the villains that stood in the way of justice. Keep in mind, he was already a bit unstable from watching his parents die."

"This time, he spent years fighting the machines. He kept fighting and fighting, until the war was over. That's when everything went wrong, in this universe, the humans didn't die out. They were  _actually_ on the Moon. The humans came back, which was a good thing. But as time passed and humanity rebuilt, and he saw that they were starting to commit the same atrocities, including what happened to his parents. One man murdered a child's parents, and he managed to capture him, but the justice system only gave the murderer a three-year sentence. And that drove him a bit over the edge. In a fit of rage, he assassinated the man who killed that child's parents."

"See, YoRHa wasn't allowed to do anything in the system. So Dan was now acting on his own. Killing people who murdered and raped, among other things. Eventually, they caught him. He was kicked out of YoRHa and put under arrest for acting out of order like that. That  _reall_ _y_ hurt him, because the way he saw it, the people he called his comrades turned on him and his way of justice, even Adam and Eve. So he managed to break out and was going to do it even if he would be branded a criminal. As long as he thought of himself as a hero of justice, his heart would never falter."

"So because of his past, he wanted to do what he thought was right?" asked 2B, "Even if it meant driving away those he cared about?"

"Precisely, 2B. But 9S found him in one of his hunts and wanted to stop him."

*Flashback*

Dan and 9S stood on a rooftop, 9S' sword in his hand. Dan with his sword and shield.

"You don't have to do this, Dan!" shouted 9S, "We can help you!"

"How can you help if don't understand  _why_ I'm such things!?" responded he. 

"YoRHa wasn't supposed to be involved. We're soldiers! And you still went and did what you did!"

"My parents were killed right in front of me! And that bastard did the same thing to that child! Her parents died in front of her and what does he get? Three years in prison?! That's ridiculous!"

"There's nothing we can do about that!" screamed that 9S, "If you want to keep going on this road, then..." he paused a moment and tore off his visor. "Then I'll stop you by force!"

*Back to real time*

"9S didn't last long at all. Dan killed him and was horrified at what he did. 9S cold only look at him with a sad expression on his face. That was what drove Dan completely over the edge. He went insane and was completely obsessed with his own way of Justice. He left that world behind and went back to his original universe. It was there he began his 'cleansing of the world'. This continued for three more years until he was called by Sral. He was basically seduced by his words because Sral said that YoRHa wanted to commit genocide on the Jinzo. His old hatred of YoRHa brought him to the world."

"As we know, Kuro was the first one to be dispatched in the effort to kill us. Then it was Dan next, he was practically ecstatic to confront us. Which was why he said all those things. The reason he took control of 2B was because that was his way of revenge. In his eyes, the 2B of the world he was in betrayed him." Upon hearing this, 2B shuttered a bit. "After our fight with him. He started having second thoughts, his better half was still inside him and began to eat away at the person he was at that time. That's why when A2 went and tried to get revenge but found out I was still alive, he didn't go himself and only dispatched his machines." 

"We wouldn't see him for a while, because he was doing some digging on the other versions of me. I'll get back to that later, it was in this time where his conscious really started to get to him. Dan started wondering if he was making the right choices, everything was so clear to him before he fought me and 2B, now things weren't so clear. Every time Sral told him to set out, he refused and threatened to kill Sral because he was more powerful, Sral would then leave him alone. At one point when he was sitting in his room thinking about everything, he spoke to God."

*Flashback*

Dan stood in the same dark realm where Lars spoke to God. He stood and stared at him while God was sitting on a couch, sipping a beer like many other times.

"My Lord, please, I don't know what to do anymore. In my mind I was sure, but now, I don't think I know what to do. For the first time in years, I'm lost." said Dan quietly.

"Why don't you just quit?" responded God.

"I... I don't think I can. Even if I did leave, I would just come right back. Sral is experimenting on people, turning them into monsters, a fate worse than death..." he sighed. "And the other two versions of me, sicken me. One of them is just an outright monster, and the other, a psychopathic child. Yet, my hatred of YoRHa keeps me from joining them."

"Well, do you still hate YoRHa?"

"I'm not sure anymore... I can't agree with what they're doing. What Lars' goal is... it's just selfish, the four of us have to die... Just so he can go home?"

"Well, what do you  _want_ to do?"

"I want to betray Sral, but I can't join YoRHa." suddenly, Dan had an idea, "What if I got Lars to join my side?"

"Oh? I thought you hated him? You change your mind? Isn't he a villain you swore to destroy?"

"Yes, but not an irredeemable one. If I can somehow just convince him to turn against YoRHa, then I'll have won."

"Good luck... But remember, I can't help you. I'm neutral, I was only nice enough to give him and his friends those lockets."

"I am aware of that. Thank you, my Lord. I now have a clear goal."

*Back to real time*

"I see. So that's why he visited you in your dream." said A2, "So does that mean that when we met in Avalon, he was already plotting against Sral?" asked she.

"Yeah, he needed my help because Sral was already augmented but that time. Eventually, we fought him in the desert. We know how that turned out. Thanks to Nines, we managed to take him down for good. When he finally died, he actually felt more at peace than anything. He actually felt like 9S had finally gotten closure and his retribution, the one here that we know and love, along the one that he knew."

"So that's Dan, huh?" asked 2B, "You said something about him finding out stuff about the other variations of you. Care to tell us what he found?"

"Yeah, but he only found out so much. I'll start with Kuro. He was born a sick bastard, always seeing everyone else as some object or life form that was beneath him. Even forming a God Complex. He has four magics, Sound, Flight, Pestilence, and Universe."

"Pestilence? Like, he infects?" asked 9S.

"Yeah, he essentially can make zombies out of anything. Anyway, over time he grew to resent his parents because they were too 'good natured' so he killed the both of them. He then started going on a rampage, and he destroyed his own world. Then, he started doing the same to other universes, killing any and everything, and prolonging his life with cybernetics, as of now, he's two-hundred years old. He was drawn to this universe for all the things he could kill. That's all Dan found out about him. As for Pallad, he was  a slightly different case. Where most versions of me have loving parents, he was a mistake."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"His mom had a one night stand with some random guy for some money, and he was the product. He was born without something right in his mind. His magic types are, Chaos, Gravity, Simulate, and Universe."

"Gravity and Simulate?" asked A2.

"Gravity, I assume he didn't use it much in our fight against him. Simulate was how he made the entire fight seem like a game. Anyway, he loved games, eventually started treating murder like a game. Since he was so powerful and evil, he took over his world pretty quickly, and eventually came to this world because Sral told him the 'games' he could play. That's all Dan found out."

"I see. Well, Pod, end recording and send to Command." said 2B.

"Affirmative: Recording stopped. Sending to Bunker." said Pod-042. 

"Well then. That's all." stated Lars, "That's all about Dan and the others I could find out. Seems he didn't bother looking into Sral's history." A beep went off. Lars took out to see the notification. "Lars, now we settle things. Unequip your weaponized arm and equip a normal one. Do not use your weapons, meet us at these coordinates. -Lucas" it read, followed by a red dot on a world map. Lars didn't know what to say, he was just shocked. Lucas was probably none other than his father, and he was going to face him in a  fight.

"What do we do?" asked 9S.

"I'm going to fight them... with my bare hands..." said Lars quietly.

"Your own parents, huh?" asked A2, "Well, then, shall we go?"

"Wha- A2?" asked Lars.

"This seems personal, so I won't try to stop you. Better get that arm replaced." she said.

"A2... thanks..."

"Don't worry, we're behind you." said 9S.

"Yeah." added in 2B.

"You guys... let's go then..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, practically the entire chapter was narrated by Lars and in his room.  
> The ending... that went from 0 to 100 real quick.


	37. Chil[D]hood's End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was inevitable, Lars would have to face his Jinzo parents in a fight eventually. Now the time has come for that to finally take place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, all music goes to creators.  
> I own none of it.  
> Also, rather short chapter. Warning: Excessive use of commas. (Probably Unnecessary)

Lars had gotten his arm replaced for a normal YoRHa one. It wasn't weaponized in the slightest, it was merely a normal arm. "Alright, do you know what the coordinates point at?" asked 9S.

"Target location acquired: Marking on map." said Pod-153.

9S took one look at their destination and was completely shocked. "This... is inside a volcano?" 

"What? A volcano?" asked 2B, "Are you sure?"

"Y-yeah, that's what the map data says." he looked at Lars, "Okay, is it even possible for you to fight in this place, what about the magma?"

"I have a natural immunity against fire, due to my fire magic, but the heat is another thing." responded Lars, "I'll just have to try."

"Wait, what? Didn't you say that you can't fight in such intense heat? "

"Proposal: 0C should make use of his spine's cooling unit." stated the mask.

"Wait, I had such a thing the entire time?" asked Lars.

"Affirmative: This unit does not need to be equipped for the entire duration of usage, but will be needed for activation and de-activation." 

"You didn't tell me this before because?"

"Analysis: The situation never presented itself."

"If I have a hidden function I don't know about, just tell me about it next time."

"Affirmative: 0C's spine also has a heating function for warm climates. Along with that it can-"

"Not now."

"Noted."

"Well, that solves that. But you should still remove your long coat, it might get burnt." said A2. 

"You're right, be right back." Lars went into the bathroom and came right back out. He now had the black shirt he wore when they went to Avalon, along with his normal pants, "This'll do."

"it's settled then, let's get there." said 2B.

"Before we go, I have something to say." said Lars.

"Alright. What is it?" asked A2.

"Please, I ask that none of you guys interfere during the entire fight. Whether I win or lose, you three are not to attack. Am I understood? This is personal."

The other three looked at each other. "We understand. Should you lose, we'll wait and see what happens next, either your Jinzo parents kill you, or they leave and we grab you." said 2B.

"Thanks guys, let's go." He placed his mask on, "Activate cooling systems."

"Activating." Lars felt his back get cold, it then spread through out his entire body slowly, until finally, you could feel a temperature change if you stood next to him. He took the mask off, placed it on his bed and opened a portal. They all stepped through to the volcano, magma spewed and shot into the air, telling them that this volcano was very well active. Lars and the other three looked around to try and spot his father, until he appeared, along with his mother. Both of them in their combat clothes.

Lars took a good look at them. They were Sral's parents, but Sral was a version of him and that meant that his parents were also Lars' parents. "So you're here..." said his mother.

"I wish there could be another way, but there is not. You wish to wipe out the humans, don't you? I cannot let that pass!" shouted his father over to him. 

"I don't want to kill every single one of you! I just need the souls of Sral and the other me's and I'll be out of here along with the androids for good! Why do you still defend Sral? He's brought literal monsters into this universe and uses child soldiers."

"He is still our son! And we can help him, but we can't if you don't choose to lay down your arms!" shouted his mother.

"Do you really believe that he can still be helped?" asked Lars, "Father, there  _is_ another way, you're just too blind to see it! Sral is a monster, and I need his soul so I can go home. If you stand in my way of that, then I have no other choice but to fight you!" Lars readied his fighting position. He clenched his right hand into fist, his left arm forward and opened. Purple lightning surged it's way through Lars' body.

"Very well then... It really  _has_ come down to this..." stated his father. He readied his own position, right arm more near his torso, his left arm opened and semi bent out. His wife also readied herself. Her right arm at her side, and her left opened into a palm, in chopping position. Blue lightning surged through Lucas' body whilst red coursed though Rachel. 

*Heat Haze Shadow 1st (Extended)*

"I'm sorry..." muttered Rachel. Everyone was now prepared to fight. Yet, a small tear slid down her face.

Lars was the first to run forward. It was two against one, he knew that, but he was prepared. He first evaded a kick from Rachel and then hit Lucas with his right elbow, then he swung his left arm and slammed it right into his face. Lucas was sent spinning, but fully recovered when he hit the ground. He wiped some blood from his mouth and then took one leap, his left leg in front. Lars tried blocking but his attention was diverted when Rachel had punched him three times in the back, he stumbled forward and his face landed right into his father's sole. 

Lars quickly evaded some more hits. Lightning surged through his body as he bolted, he flipped over his mother. When he was directly above her, he grabbed both her shoulders and lifted her off the ground. He slammed her into the volcanic floor and then saw his father leaping forth once again. This time, Lars side-stepped and grabbed his father's leg, pulling it toward himself, Lars simultaneously punched Lucas straight in the nose, sending him back. Lars turned to see Rachel attempting to chop him, he dodged but she threw another punch. Lars lept up, kneeing her with his left leg, sending her into the air and swinging his right leg inward and hitting her again.

Upon landing, he was upper-cutted by Lucas and sent back. Lucas grabbed him and kicked him with his right leg, swinging his leg back, he kicked Lars again. Rachel immediately ran up and kicked Lars in the stomach, since he was winded, Rachel began punching him repeatedly in the abdomen until the final punch sent him into a wall. He held the area that was hit so many times but didn't do that for long, as he had to intercept Lucas' attacks. Lars blocked two jabs from the left and the straight punch. To counter, Lars ark-blasted Lucas back and kneed his mother. He swung his left arm and then his right, finally, he smashed his left arm into her torso. 

Lars saw that his father had bought his leg up for an axe kick, so he struck him with his left leg. Doing an aerial back-flip, he kicked Lucas away. Now was his chance to get some distance. He tried to run, but his parents were already doing a pincer attack. Having no other choice, he opened portals on both sides and they both wound up hitting each other. Lars flipped over Lucas and when he landed, he struck his femur, making him stumble. Lars then put a ton of lightning into his right leg, and it collided right with Lucas' face. Lars then slid forward and grabbed his mother and head-butted her as hard as he could.

His head began bleeding as hit father quickly stood back up and smashed his fist right into Lars' side, stunning him. The blue electricity was keeping Lars from moving and Lucas grabbed Lars by the leg, flipped him over his side and down into the ground. When he reached the floor, Rachel punched down on him, Lars managed to block it, but he didn't expect to be thrown again. This time, right into spewing magma, it seared him and hurt a lot.

On the sidelines. A2 was literally fighting her urge to help Lars, she could tell, so were 2B and 9S. They wanted to help, but it would betray Lars' trust, because they all knew it. No matter what he said or did, this was causing Lars more pain than anyone could ever imagine. The intense brawl raged on, blow was matched with another blow, blood dripped from all three combatants now. Lars slammed his father into the ground but was kicked by his mother right when he looked away. He dodged and grabbed her by the head. His knee slammed into her face and she was airborne, then, he swung his arms outward, followed by an uppercut and then Lars hit her with a cannon. 

Lucas came forward with an attempted axe-kick, but Lars kneed him in the stomach and flipped him over his knee. Rachel came up again and began throwing several punches and kicks, Lars was doing his best to counter every single one of them, but heard his father coming up behind him. Lars kneed his mother into the air and kicked her with his right. He transitioned to a stomp and stepped right on Lucas. As Lucas was sent to the ground, Lars rolled away from his opponents. He panted as he focused and resumed his fighting stance, as did his parents.

 _"Damn, I'm starting to lose my breath... gotta end this..."_ he thought to himself. Lars ran forward and swung his arm up to hit Rachel into the air, Lucas tried to kick him, but Lars slid underneath. As Rachel fell, he slammed his palm into her back. But was axed by his father and punched several times by Rachel, who had just gotten up. Lars jumped back a bit to evade their attacks. They both ran to his sides and simultaneously kicked him in the chest and the stomach, sending Lars back into a heap of rocks. 

"Had enough yet?" panted Rachel, "We can stop this!" 

"No..." retorted Lars as he pushed himself back up. "It's not over, until either I can't fight anymore, or you two..." he said, "AND I'M NOT GONNA LOSE TO THE BOTH OF YOU!!" he all of the sudden screamed.

*Heat Haze Shadow 2nd*

Lightning surged through Lars' entire body. Now, he was basically going into overcharge. He sprinted forward so fast, the androids could hardly see him, neither could his parents. It was as if he just disappeared and reappeared just like Dan. Before, Lucas could react, Lars had hit him with an ark-blast. Rachel began throwing punches at Lars, who in turn blocked or evaded every single one of them. But Rachel was quick, and Lars had already taken much damage, his father got back up and began attacking along with Rachel. Lars had to block both attacks at once now. 

Lars was hit several times, but every five hits, he would hit back, but three times as hard. He managed to get Rachel away so he can quickly focus his attacks on Lucas, Lars began hitting Lucas all over his body, it was little damage, but Lars was moving at high speed. Lucas would take more damage than he initially thought. As this was happening, Lars had noticed that Rachel had gotten back on her feet and was charging right at them. He hit Lucas with a back hand and then struck him with his right hand in his abdomen, then with his left hand, he hit him with his palm, sending him off his feet.

Lars then turned his attention to Rachel a bit late, and he was struck in the chin by an upper-cut. Rachel hit him a number of times before grabbing his collar and punching him back down to the ground. He was quick to get back on his feet, and saw Rachel incoming from the air, Lars slammed both legs on the ground and lightning surged around his entire body. He sprung up and hit her with a spin, as she fell, he punched her, then hit her with a palm. As she was still midair, he kicked her and went forward, and with a spin, hit her again. Lars looked around, Lucas had disappeared which meant he was sure to appear where Lars wouldn't think of, so he swept the area around him with his leg. Sure enough, he had tripped Lucas, who was invisible. 

"Though you weren't going to use any other of your abilities, 'dad'!" taunted Lars, as he dodged one of Lucas' attacks. Lucas stayed silent and kept on punching. Lars was taking many hits, as he was still exhausted. Eventually, Lucas punched Lars with all his strength and it nearly knocked him unconscious, but he held on. Lars merely looked at Lucas, the look that said,"I've got you now", Lars hit Lucas as hard as he could, and that stunned him as the electricity surged through his entire body. Lars swung his right arm in the air and bought it back down, the purple lightning crackled and surged through his entire body to signal his strongest attack, Zeus. Lars lunged forward with a battle cry and hit Lucas right in the chin, sending him right into the air and crashing down on his head.

Lars turned to see that Rachel had gotten back up, and was now charging at him. Lars spun back, his left arm sticking out. He turned his body around and slammed his right hand right into her stomach, spun again and hit her with his right and then left, then hit her with ark-blast. Finally, he bough his arm up once again and the lightning surged, signalling another Zeus, but instead of being an upper-cut attack, he hit her right in the chest. Rachel was lifted right off her feat and back to where Lucas was. This fight was over.

*Fade*

"How's... that...?" panted Lars. Rachel crawled over to Lucas, who was now awake, but couldn't fight anymore. The other three had finally ran over to Lars.

"You, truly are stronger than the both of us..." muttered Lucas, "I suppose, that's a good thing... You actually have the potential to kill Sral..."

"Wait, what?" asked Lars, "What... what do you mean?"

"We know that Sral is completely evil now..." stated Rachel, "Back when you were in Avalon, we had devised a plan to hurt Sral emotionally. He may be descending into evil, but he still loves the both of us... So, if we went down fighting you, his emotional state should be damaged. He'll take control and make more and more irrational decisions, eventually leading to the downfall of our race..."

"This... is what you wanted?" asked 9S, "For your own race to die out?"

"We won't make it back into the next twenty years anyway..." stated Lucas, "We simply don't need to exist anymore... Our population is slowly declining as more and more are turned into untrained soldiers that will just be killed in a fight against androids... We were created to fight androids so long ago... but we broke free... and now look at us..."

"I saw the future, we would go down fighting you..." stated Rachel as she stared Lars, who was hanging his head down. "Every version of you is destined to lose their parents one way or another... But this is fine... after all, we aren't your parents... it's fine, we hold no grudge against you and-"

"How did you think this would make  _me_ feel?" said Lars suddenly. He looked up, and his eyes were revealed. He was indeed crying, "You provoke me to fight you both... saying how you were going to defend Sral... and now this?" cried Lars, "I don't like it! Not one bit!" he sobbed. Lars fell to his knees, "Why didn't you tell me this before?! I could've found another way! But instead... I'm  _forced_ to kill you? Because of what? Fate?!"

Lucas and Rachel had never thought about that before, thy didn't think about it from Lars' perspective. After all, they looked too much like his own parents, just how would Lars feel having to kill them? "Lars..." said Lucas suddenly. "I'm sorry..."

"You're sorry? Is that going to stop what the fact that you're going to die in a bit?! Damn it, dad!" 

Lucas chuckled a bit, "You actually called me 'dad'."

"What does that have to do with anything...? I'm about to lose you all over again..."

"We are truly sorry. But this is how fate turns out..." stated Rachel, she and Lucas closed in and both gave Lars a hug. "Please, kill Sral."

"Why is it always fate?" asked Lars, "Dan said he tried to change fate, but he failed. And here you both are... saying that you were destined to die, and by  _my_ hands at that! How can I forgive you both?" cried Lars, "Answer me!"

"If you won't forgive us, that is fine..." sniffed Lucas, "Looking back, I see that we were wrong in doing this... after all, fate  _can_ be changed, we just need the strength to overthrow. And we were too weak..."

Lars stayed silent and just cried. "So allow us to bestow upon you what your mother couldn't give you while they were alive." said Rachel. Lars looked at her, with confusion. "A proper goodbye..." she kissed him on the forehead, "Goodbye, my son... I love you... Never forget that..." she sniffed. She also took off her ring and gave it to Lars.

"Farewell, my son..." said Lucas, "Please, bring Sral to us, soon..." Lucas also removed his ring and handed it to Lars, and with that, the both of them drew their last breath. Their grip on Lars' body was released and they both fell to the floor. Lars was left there, on his knees. The others watched, they couldn't even think of what to say. Until finally, Lars broke the silence.

"I promise... I'll take Sral down..." He clenched both rings in his hand. "And I forgive you..." he sniffed. He looked back at the androids, "Help me carry their bodies..." said he. 2B and A2 didn't hesitate, they both picked up the bodies of Lucas and Rachel. Lars opened a portal out of the volcano and to a destination he didn't visit yet. When they walked through, the androids looked around, this place was unfamiliar to them. They saw a sign that read "Solvang", and A2 knew exactly what this place was, it was Lars' old home. They followed Lars as he walked a distance until he reached a broken down house. "Still standing..." muttered Lars.

The three followed Lars inside the house. They saw him pick up a photo frame and look at it. The other three also took a look at it, in the picture, there was Lucas, Rachel, and Sral. This was where they had lived, where Lars had lived. They watched as Lars walked out to the backyard, he picked up an old shovel and began digging by hand. 9S wasn't carrying a body, so he began digging another hole. After several minutes, two graves were dug. 2B and A2 knew exactly what to do and carefully placed the bodies in. 9S and Lars buried the bodies right next to each other. Lars put his hands together, like he was praying. 

"I'll never forget the promise I made... I swear..." Lars basically gave his parents a small funeral. And now, the task was complete. He turned to look at the androids, "Let's go home..." said he. As he opened a portal, his mind felt scrambled and confused. But in his heart, he knew that he managed to accepted with his parents' death. He had made peace with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fight is indeed based off Kazuya vs Heihachi from Tekken 7.  
> Lars' pose, like Lars' from Tekken.  
> Lucas (Father) like Kazuya's  
> Rachel (Mother) Like Kazumi's  
> I'm not copying Tekken, I just drew inspiration.


	38. Pascal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Jinzo forces are now facing a crisis. Sral finds out about the death of his parents, his rage drives him to attack, but not Lars himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it should be kind of obvious what Sral's going to do.

Two more chairs were empty. Before, all sixteen were filled, now, only six were left. "I'm sorry, Sral. We couldn't find their bodies." said the Ace of Hearts. "The men that were dispatched all around the volcano found nothing." 

Sral was now sitting at where his father once sat. He stayed silent for several seconds, but before a minute was up, he spoke up. "It's fine..." said he, before he stood up and began walking away. The Queen of Hearts was going to speak up, but before she could, Sral already started another sentence, "Anyone who follows me will die...". He walked away, and the rest of the royals said nothing.

"What a terrible leader he is... walking away in a time life this..." stated the Queen.

"He is grieving you bitch..." retorted the Jack of Spades quietly, "He just lost his parents as you have lost your husband." 

The Queen scoffed, "We should be planning our next move, not allowing our 'leader' to grieve everyday." she stood up from her chair, "I'm going to check on our military, come with me my son. Let us leave this fool!". As she walked out the door, the Jack of hearts got back up. The both of them followed left the room, leaving the Jack of Spades and the Ace of Hearts in the throne room. Alas, the Jack also stood up and stared out the window. 

"We really don't have a chance at winning this war, don't we?" asked the Ace.

"I want to hope that we can, but I'm afraid those are only words. Even with the help of Kuro and Pallad, I'm sure you've heard about what happened to Dan."

"Yes, he died. And he could stop time if he wanted to." responded she. "We can't even surrender, your brother's thirst for blood is too great for that."

"Along, with his pride." added the Jack. "I really don't want to help him anymore. He's done too much and crossed a line I can't forgive..." he looked back at the Ace, "Kantress, if I told you I wanted to defect, what would you say?"

"I'd say, go for it." she responded. "I mean, it's not like you had any other friends other than me and your brother. And you  _were_ the one who told me that you couldn't ever feel any actual love for your parents, just never ending gratitude, you being adopted and all."

"I suppose that's how all Jacks are, adopted children for aids for making the Ace stronger. Me, the one from the house of Diamonds and Cloves, street rats that were picked up because of our magical capabilities. But that wasn't the case for you, wasn't it?"

"Nope. Still don't know why  _I'm_ Ace. I'm not even my mother's daughter. I just happened to be stronger than the Jack, so I was Ace instead. The adopted child is stronger. I suppose even if I was stronger,  _he_ was always favored."

"What are you getting at?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm going with you if you defect."

"Didn't you say something about us surrendering or the people dying or something?"

"Mikhail, you know that the both of us have never really cared about everyone else. We were always beaten on the streets, and even when we were taken in by the royal families, we were always the outsiders."

"Yeah, you're right. But who do we join?"

"YoRHa comes to mind."

"But we're at war with them."

"And I heard they treat their prisoners fairly. In fact, they treat them better than we treat ours'. Plus, the person who killed the King and Queen, he's another version of Sral, and somehow know that it broke his heart to do what he did."

"I suppose. Well then, what do we do?"

"Isn't it obvious? We're still Royals, we can go out whenever we like. We're getting our Lancers and going to a YoRHa base. I hear that the other version of Sral has a goal, he wants to get his forces to his own world. If we join, we can leave this place forever, and start a new life."

"That sounds good." smiled Mikhail, "Then let's go." 

He and Kantress began walking to the hangar, but they passed by Sral's room, and a conversation was going on. Before they walked past the door, Mikhail stopped Kantress. He touched his forehead and then her's. They both turned invisible and listened in. "Kuro, are you aware of the machine known as Pascal? The one with the village."

"Why of course." they heard him cackle. 

"Good, then I need you to destroy it. I want to hurt Lars and his friends. Because if I'm correct, then they are allied. Destroy it by any means necessary, understood?"

"You've got it." laughed the insane one. They heard a portal open and close. They quietly crept past the room. Quickly, they moved through the castle, and to their rooms to fetch their weapons. After that, they finally got to the hangar. The guards there did not once question what they were doing. The both of them got into their Lancers and took off, finally leaving Avalon.

"If we want him to trust us, we have to warn him." said Kantress over the comm.

"And we also have to help him." responded Mikhail.

"Good idea, let's go. Full speed ahead!" Both Lancers flew off into the sunset, never to return to Avalon. 

 

*Transition*

 

2B and 9S walked through the Resistance camp. All was quiet, now that the Commander was starting to plan the final attack on Avalon. Progress was going well, so all YoRHa needed to do was wait and build up their forces. The Resistance had also gotten so much stronger with the new materials and the mass production. Forces stationed all over the Earth was starting to gather into the surrounding area. Both Isaribi and Hotarubi were docked in the ship hangars and  _their_ hangars were filled to the brim with flight units, and assault-vehicles. Battle-ships that the Resistance had were also now in the flooded city. 

"Look, 2B, says here that the Resistance managed to revive the Yamato." 9S showed her a picture of the enormous ship that was from thousands of years ago, and a new picture. It was completely fixed up and looked ready for battle. "Somehow, it was sunk in 1945, and the Resistance just fixed it and even enhanced it. Man, they're pretty awesome."

"That's and understatement." responded 2B, "I'd say that's an achievement that no other being has ever achieved. I mean, fixing and enhancing a battleship from that long ago. And to add to that, look at the size of that thing compared to a normal ship."

"Wow, you're awfully chatty today."

"Don't get used to it. Lars' orders."

"Speaking of which, where is he?"

"He told me that he was heading to the Bunker to heal some of his wounds and help forma  plan with the Commander. He'll be back soon."

"And what about A2?"

"I think I saw her training out by the river."

"Why? Androids don't need to train, only if there's a certain condition or something."

"She's doing martial arts."

"That makes sense." 2B and 9S walked out of the camp and saw A2 practicing the moves that Lucas and Rachel were doing in the fight. Judging from their memories A2 already got all the ones she saw down. Now she was basically testing them on machines. One of them came in flying from A2's punch and 2B quickly cut it in half and both parts exploded. A2 took notice of this and waved as she destroyed the rest of the mechanical life-forms in the area. She jumped over to the other two, "Hey, what's up?"

"Just wanted to see what you were doing. Seems to be going pretty well. Sure that long hair isn't in your way? I mean, it's fully regrown isn't it?" stated 9S.

"It shouldn't be in the way, and you have no idea, should've seen the spider-like machine. It was practically dust." responded A2, "Is Lars coming back soon?" the moment she asked that, a portal opened behind her and he stepped right out. 

"Hi, guys." said he. "Wounds are healed up nicely and White said that she and the others will take care of the rest. Hell, she even as Jinzo military defectors helping her out."

"How many are defecting these days?" asked 9S.

"Several, they're seeing what we're doing as the only way out because they know of my plan to bring everyone back. So they turned on Sral. Still, hard to believe they're helping us even after we killed so many of them."

"One of life's greatest mys-" 9S was cut off by the sound of approaching Lancers. 

"Alert: Incoming Lancers." stated Pod-153.

"How many?" asked 2B.

"Analysis: Two." responded Pod-042.

"Get ready." said Lars, all of them drew their weapons. As the two Lancers landed, both Mikhail and Kantress stepped out of their fighters. "Alright, let's hear who you are and get this over with." stated he.

"We're not enemies." responded Mikhail, "We're only here to talk, we defected."

"More defectors?" asked 9S, "Why are there so many of you guys?" 

"We're here because we just can't condone Sral's actions anymore. Just like many other of the deserters." stated Kantress. "Please, let us aid you."

"Alright, let's go through this again. What are your reasons for leaving other than not wanting your family to be killed or not being able to stomach Sral's actions?" asked Lars, sounding rather annoyed.

"Wait, deserters bought their families as well?" asked Mikhail.

"Yes, a lot of the defectors were just people forced to fight and officers who hated Sral for what he was doing, so they bought their families as well, we agreed to take them in if they had info and could help us out with different things. But I digress, what are your stories?"

"Well, we are the adopted children of the houses. Before we were just street rats, abused on a daily basis. After I was taken in, it was found out I was stronger, so they made me Ace, though I was adopted. They still favored the Jack, because he was the actual biological son, me? I was merely just the place holder until they made another. The Jack was supposed to be the Ace, but he just wasn't strong enough"

"Wait, how? How were you stronger?" asked 9S, "An officer a while back told me that the Aces were always made stronger. How can you be stronger than him, even though _he_ was meant to be Ace?"

"Yes, but something went wrong with his creation, and he ended being weaker than me."

"That makes sense." said 2B, "And you?" she looked over at Mikhail.

"I'm just like the other Jacks. I was adopted solely for the reason to make Sral stronger. Except my adopted parents actually treated me better than the other Jacks. But I couldn't ever feel actual love, since I'm still adopted, and Sral was still favored. But I did feel ever lasting gratitude, which I guess was the closest thing. But now, they're gone and I know for a fact that they started to detest Sral, if I just stood by him as I did all these years, surely I would meet my end. He was my brother and he actually treated me like one, so now, I  _have_ to help take him down, so he can't be corrupted any further." said he.

"But, I killed your parents..." said Lars silently, "Are you saying you forgive me?"

"No, because I don't hate you. I told you, I only felt never ending gratitude, but I couldn't love them, because I knew to them, I was still adopted. I wasn't their child but they still loved me and taught me many things, despite favoring Sral. I know that it must have been painful for you, to kill them. Now, I just want to help you take my brother down so he can be saved and follow you to your world and live a new life."

"Alright then, welcome aboard. Now, got any info?"

"You have to ask?" chuckled Kantress, "We're Royals, we've got information that any other Jinzo could never  _dream_ to take a look at." 

"But first, I think I overheard Sral talking about sending Kuro over to a village. I think the name was Pascal? Anyway, I think that it might be allied to you guys." stated Mikhail suddenly. 

"Pascal? His village is going to be attacked?" asked 9S.

"If it hasn't already, we could be too-" said Kantress before she was cut off by Pod-042.

"Alert: Incoming call."

"Put it through." responded 2B.

"Everyone! Can you hear me!?" shouted Pascal, fear evident in his voice, "Please, if you can, come quickly! The villagers are- Oh, no...!" and the call suddenly cut off.

"Pascal! Pascal! Can are you there?" asked A2, "What the hell is going on?"

*Wretched Weaponry (Dynamic-Vocals)*

"It  _has_ to be Kuro, c'mon, let's go!" Lars tried to open a portal, but for some reason. He couldn't open one directly to the village, "What? Oh, no. He must have set up a anti-magic field. Looks like we have to go on foot!" he looked over at Kantress and Mikhail, "I'll make a report for you guys later, but for now, you in or what?" 

"Yes, we will lend our support." said Mikhail. He extended his weapons, bladed tonfas, and Kantress unfolded the weapon on her back. It was some sort of bladed bow. Lars nodded and they took off as quickly as they could. All of them could see smoke coming from the direction of the village. 

"Double time it!" yelled Lars, all of them ran faster, not Kantress and Mikhail.

"We'll catch up!" shouted the Ace, "You guys go on ahead!"

Lars nodded and quickly kept running, after a few jumps and dispatching a few machines in the way, they got to the gate of the village. After passing through the wall, they ran into the forest, smoke and embers began to grow in abundance. The four made it up the bridge, and the other two caught up to see something straight out of a nightmare. Machines, with their faces torn, exposing mouth like openings with jagged teeth. The messed-up ones chased down the ones that were running one-by-one and began to eat them. Limbs were torn off, machines were torn to pieces, and their screams echoing into the air.

"What the hell? The machines are... eating each other?" asked 9S.

"Lars, this is just like that time at the Resistance camp!" shouted A2 to Lars. 

"Pod, where's Pascal?" asked 2B.

"Unknown: Cannot establish stable connection."

The six of them ran forward, weapons drawn, but stopped when Pascal floated up from under the bridge. "Aaah! Everybody!" he screamed.

"What happened!?" asked A2.

"I don't know! One moment, some cloaked figure was there and spread some kind of particle through the air! Then suddenly the villagers went mad. They began attacking their friends." cried he. "I managed to help the children flee to safety. But I fear everyone else is..."

"You need to get out of here before you're next." said Lars, "Just go, we'll take care of things here."

"But, what if you get-"

"These guys won't be able to touch us. Now move your ass!" shouted A2.

"R-right!" and with that, Pascal fled the area. 2B and 9S were the first to run forward and began destroying the corrupted machines. Then, the others charged in, Lars drew the heavy sword and slammed it right into the ball-like machine that modified the sword Lars had just used to slay him. 

"Kuro..." cursed Lars under his breath. A machine came up behind him, but it was stabbed by Mikhail by one of his tonfas, he blocked an axe with both and Kantress flipped over the machine and shot it several times with arrows made of energy. As she landed, she blocked a blow and slashed the machines arm off. A2 came up and finished it off with her sword mace. Machine after machine was destroyed, 2B swung her heavy sword into a machine with a painted suit and tie, 9S threw his blade into a machine with a dress. Mikhail and Kantress kept cutting down machines that kept attacking.

"How many are there left?" asked 9S.

"Can't see with all this smoke!" responded Lars. Finally, out of the tree, came a worm-like machine. "Nines! We'll keep it busy, hack into it!" Lars blocked an energy projectile and began shooting back with his gun. 2B opened fire with her Pod, and Kantress began shooting arrows. 

"Hacking in!" said 9S. They kept shooting for a couple minutes, "Hacking complete!". The machine finally exploded, it's parts flying in different directions. 

*Fade*

"Is that all of them?" asked Kantress.

"Pod, scan for survivors." said 9S.

"Scanning: No life signs detected." said Pod-153.

Lars put his mask on, "Call Pascal." said he silently.

The line connected over to Pascal, "Ah! Lars! How is my village? My people?" he asked frantically.

"I'm so sorry... There's nothing we could've done for them." responded Lars.

"Oh no..."

"Are the children alright?" 

"...I've taken them to the abandoned factory..."

"Understood, we're on our way." Lars set a homing beacon. So did the others, after a moment, the roar of engines could be heard, the flight units and Lancers flew in and they all boarded. They all flew off to the factory entrance. Once all of them landed, the androids and Lars stepped out, "Think you guys can guard and scout?" asked Lars.

"We'll do that. I'll contact you should I see something." said Mikhail. His Lancer folded up into the fighter mode and flew off, Kantress remained at the entrance in mobile mode. The four of them entered the doors. The children from the village were there, some of them sitting on crates and boxes. 

"Pascal, are you okay?" asked A2.

"Oh, everyone..." said he.

"So what exactly happened?" asked 9S.

"I don't know, it all happened so fast. Some hooded figure just came into the village and spread some kind particle I can only assume was a virus. Next thing I knew, some of the villagers started to... feed on each other. If all of you hadn't come along, I'm sure that all of us would've met the same fate. Thank you." responded Pascal.

"Query: We understand that machine lifeforms can regenerate as long as they possess the required materials. Is this accurate?" asked Pod-042.

"Unfortunately, we cannot regenerate our cores. Cores contain the date which forms our self-consciousness. If one is destroyed, there is no way to restore it. We usually store our cores in safe places, but this time, the villagers had their cores destroyed as well as their bodies."

"I see..." responded A2.

"Any leftover machines from that cult we encountered?" asked Lars.

"Ever since that incident, I've been back numerous times. There are no traces of them left, we have been using this factory for quite some time."

"Good."

Suddenly a call came in, and explosions could be heard outside, "Lars! Machines are amassing around this area! We're still guarding your units, but there are so many of them!" said Kantress

"Alert: Enemy reinforcements infiltrating the facility." chimed Pod-153.

"Let's go, we're destroying them!" shouted Lars.

*Song of The Ancients Atonement (Instrumental)*

"You... You must let me help you guys! I will smash them up and kill them!" shouted Pascal. 2B nodded and they all exited, machines could be seen coming up the stairs, aerial forces as well. They all carried weapons or had weapons mounted on their torsos. The Lancers flew around and shot many down. 

"2B, 9S, board your units. A2, Pascal and I will cover the ground. Mask, can you get the Commander type to just hover?"

"Affirmative." 

The Commander type got right off it's legs and began hovering out of reach. It also activated the force-field so machines couldn't shoot at it. 2B and 9S boarded their units and flew up into the sky. Bullets rained down, destroying many machines. Lars, A2, and Pascal ran forward. A2 and Lars drew their swords and began slashing, whilst Pascal fired a giant lazer from his face. 

"They keep coming!" shouted Lars as he cut down more and more of them. Charging one of his attacks, he jumped back and unleashed several shadows of himself. They all went into different directions. 9S, through his flight unit, cracked open a pipe and controlled the water, it hit the machines and sent them into the sea. He looked behind him and saw a machine about to hit him with an axe, but 2B intervened. She ejected herself from the unit and stabbed the machine with her lance.

"...I have an idea. Please buy me a bit of time!" said Pascal. A2 nodded and began covering him as he got away. She activated her berserker mode and ran around, annihilating every machine she slashed. Mikhail jumped out of his Lancer and impaled a machine with his tonfas.

"I'm out of ammunition, I'll have to fight on the ground!" he blocked an axe and stabbed the machine, cutting it's head off, he simultaneously kicked it into other machines. "Now die!" he yelled. He made a slashing motion and two waves came out, they went in different directions and cut up many machines. Right around this time, A2's time ran out, and she had to recover.

A machine almost killed her, but Lars came and protected her with his force-field. The weapon bounced off, Lars deactivated the field and bisected the machine. Another machine jumped through the halves but it was shot by Kantress' Lancer, "Those were my last shots! I'll self destruct this!" She put her Lancer into self-destruct mode and sent it into a wave of machines. The number of machines had significantly gone down, but that didn't stop tanks from dropping into the air.

"Come on, goliaths too...?" asked A2. She materialized her weapons and charged again. Lars ran past the machines and  jumped into his flight unit. He saw more machines trying to drop off attackers. So he began taking them down. Carrier after carrier fell. The others were fully focused on fighting the tank. 9S even crashed his flight unit into it. Lars looked forward and saw no more machines. So he too attacked the tank.

"Get back, everyone!" he commanded. The other five jumped back and Lars shot it with the twin smash cannons, destroying it. Lars lowered himself to look at his comrades, all of them tired or injured. Before words came out of his mouth, he got an alert. Turning around showed him a new sight, more flying machines carrying the tank they had just fought. "They're still coming!?" asked he. Before he could fire, the ground shook.

"Fear not, everyone! I can handle this!" shouted Pascal as he stood on top of the head of a goliath class machine. It turned around and began advancing towards the machine forces. "I'll kill you... I'll kill you!" said Pascal. The giant swung it's arm, already destroying several machines. "I must protect the children!" Pascal kept advancing and destroying the machines. Eventually the face opened up and charged the lazer, Lars flew out and fired the twin smash cannons along with missiles at the same time Pascal fired the lazer. The rest of the aerial machines were eradicated, but the threat was not over. Another machine just like the one that Pascal was controlling arose out of the water.

Pascal stepped forward and started combat with the giant. Lars tried firing the smash cannons, but nothing happened, "Alert: Smash cannons have overheated. Using concentrated beams like the one 0C just used in the atmosphere will cause this to happen more frequently." stated the mask. 

"Fine!" responded Lars, he fired missiles and distracted the enemy giant. Pascal took that chance to punch several chunks off. The machine refocused on Pascal and punched back, it threw another punch, but Lars came in and activated the force-field and blocked it. Pascal punched the  machine again, making it stumble. The machine swung the arm forward to hit Pascal and successfully landed a blow. 

"Alert: Pascal's machine will not be able to take another hit." said the mask. "Proposal: Since smash cannons have cooled, 0C should use cannons to sever the enemy's arm."

"Good idea." The enemy goliath swung it's arm, but before it could make it halfway to Pascal, Lars fired the cannons and cut the arm right off. Pascal used his chance to sever the second arm. As the machine stood there, Pascal threw an upper cut and sent the enemy giant flying into the air, it landed and remained there. Lars saw it was still active so he fired his missiles, making sure that it was dead. Lars then flew over to Pascal, "Get on." said he.

*Fade*

"Many thanks, Lars. Now let us get back to the others." He grabbed hold of the arm and Lars flew over to the factory entrance. When he landed, he and Pascal both got off to greet the others. "Is everybody alright?" asked he.

"Yeah, thanks for that." said A2.

"I fear for the children. Let us hurry to them!" The seven of them quickly ran to the doors of the factory. The doors opened and all were greeted to a sight worse than the burning village. All the children... were dead. Swords right through where their cores would be. Pascal began to whimper and panic, he placed both hands on his head and fell to his knees. "No... No, how can this...?" he sobbed.

Lars looked around. "T-through their own cores?" he asked, "They... killed themselves..."

"How... how could this happen?" 

"Why? Why would they do such a thing?" asked 2B. As she and 9S looked at some of the corpses.

"I taught them everything... All my thoughts and emotions." said Pascal. "I thought it would serve them well in the future. But instead..."

"How would teaching them lead to something like this?" said 9S.

"Fear..."

"I don't understand." responded A2. 2B and 9S didn't either, because they were made fearless. They didn't know what it was life to be truly afraid, so they had no clue. But Lars, Mikhail, and Kantress all knew exactly why they had taken their own lives.

"I taught the children what fear is. I felt they had to know so they wouldn't rush heedlessly into danger. But... Instead..."

"They were afraid what happened outside would come in... So they took their own lives..." said Kantress.

"If I knew this could happen, I never would have..." Pascal cut himself up and suddenly just stood up. "9S? I need your aid." 9S and Lars looked at each other in a confused manner. "I... I cannot live with this heartbreak inside me. I need you... I need you to delete my memories. And if not, then I wish to die."

"Lars?" asked 9S. He didn't know what was right, 9S would feel terrible if he made it on his own.

"It's far too cruel to live without memories. You should just kill him." said Mikhail.

"But I did..." responded Lars, "Nines, let's do it..." 9S nodded. Before they began, Lars looked at Pascal, "I'm sorry. If I could've just done more for you..."

"Please... the only thing you can do now is kill me, or erase my memories. I am the one at fault..." sniffed Pascal, "One more thing, I know you didn't know me as well as your friends and I didn't know you as well as I knew them. But even if I didn't interact with you much, I feel incredibly fortunate to have met you..."

Lars nodded and put his left hand to Pascal's head. "Hacking in." said he and 9S at the same time. The both of them were thrown into hacking space, shielded cores were all floating around. One was exposed, Lars and 9S went over to it and shot it down.

_"My name is Pascal, I'm the leader of this village."_

Another lost the shield, 9S and Lars shot it down.

_"Uncle Pascal! Uncle Pascal! Play with us!"_

_"Yeah c'mon!"_

Another.

_"I'm so scared... So scared... This is so terrifying and scary!"_

And another.

_"You promised that you'd read that botanical field guide remember?"_

_"Yeah, but you promise you'll play with us when we're done, right?"_

_"Yeah! Promise us?"_

Two more. One lost the shield and was destroyed.

_"Of course I will, you have my word, and uncle Pascal will never lie and break his word."_

 One left.

_"When will Big Brother come and play with us again?"_ Lars knew that little child was referring to him.

_"Hopefully, soon..."_

And it was done, the  remaining memories have been deleted. Lars and 9S were thrown out of hacking space and back into normal time, just in time to hear the final words of Pascal. "Thank you, all of you..." said he. His eyes went dark and fell over.

"Memory deletion complete. Reset timer activated." said Pod-042.

They all stood there for a little while. "Come on. Let's go put out that fire... It's the least we can do." said Lars. He began walking out of the factory, and the others followed, the next time they would meet Pascal, he would not be the friendly, nature-loving, machine he was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to shed some light on the royal families in the beginning. Dunno why.  
> BTW: Mikhail and Kantress both wear trench coats. Mikhail has a soft face and combed hair, Kantress looks kind of boyish and has a ponytail.  
> Tonfas look life the forearm ninja sword, and the bow looks like Kamen Rider Chalice's weapon.  
> Changed up a bit of Pascal's memories, just one.


	39. Emil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sral's revenge is not just done yet, he's going to be doing some more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty obvious in my opinion.

Sral shattered a wall with his bare hand. His rage, and anger, it was getting to him, all at once. First, he had gotten news that the Queen of Cloves was killed in their first encounter with YoRHa. Next it, was the death of his friend, the Jack of Cloves. Then, the Ace was killed, and finally, the King. The House of Cloves were indeed a weak one, but they were still his genuine comrades and friends. Next to fall was the House of Diamonds, all of them, killed in the same place, same time, and not even any bodies left over. When his assault in space went wrong, the King of Hearts paid the price. 

He screamed as he shattered more things in his room. The thoughts he had about his parents, how in his eyes, they were brutally killed without mercy. And how Lars didn't even leave their bodies for somewhere he could find. Now, his brother, Mikhail, and his friend, Kantress, both have left him. "DAMN YOU!!!" he screamed, "DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU DAMN YOU!!!!!" he sent swords made of light in every direction, destroying everything in his room. He looked at the broken glass of his mirror, his eyes, bloodshot and wide. Then, he remembered something, that moon-like ball head.

"So..." he covered half his face with his hand, "...I'm sure that he'll make a  _perfect_ target." he armed himself with his gauntlet and sword. "Just wait... this'll  _really_ hurt."

*Transition*

Lars sat in his room, reading a book under the moonlight. Three days had passed since the incident with Pascal. 

*Flashback*

"Can you do it?" asked Lars, looking at the burning forest.

"Yeah, I can..." responded 9S. He removed his blindfold and put one knee on the floor. With his right hand, he placed it on the floor and closed his eyes. When they opened, they were the same emerald green they were on that night. The village was still ablaze, but it was now mid-night. Every plant and person present stood on water, and 9S made it rain. The water came down quickly and doused the fire, almost as it were merely a candle. Soon, after every trace was gone, 9S removed the reality marble, and everything was as it once was. "Fire is out..." said 9S.

"Thanks..." responded Lars. Then, he and the others just walked away, back to the camp.

*Back to modern time*

After that, Lars made reports of Kantress and Mikhail. Now they were currently in the Bunker helping with the plan, and officially soldiers of YoRHa. Lars finished the last page of the book he was reading when he heard a knock on his door. "Come right in." he called.

The door opened to reveal Devola come in. She sat next to Lars and sighed a bit. "I heard about what happened." said she.

"You did?"

"Yeah, 2B told me all about it. That machine, Pascal, I'm gonna miss him. Every time he came by, he would always ask us about humans."

"He came by?"

"Oh yeah, pretty often, too. It's just that, you were always on a mission, so you would miss him."

"Now I feel bad." responded Lars, smiling a bit. But deep inside, he really did feel kind of bad. After all, he was technically the only human Pascal knew, and he wasn't even around.

"Don't. I didn't mean it in that way, when Popola and I asked him if he actually wanted to meet you and tried to arrange a time, he said, 'Don't, I'd rather not distract him from his duties'."

"Really?"

"Yup." Devola put her hand on his shoulder, "Before Lawsh ceased to exist, he told me something." Lars waited for what he said, "He told me that he always had a nasty habit of trying to put all the burden on himself. He always blamed himself for misfortunes that happened to people who were close too him. Lawsh always wanted no one else to feel the pain, at the cost of his own well-being. He was a selfless guy, but, maybe he was a bit too selfless." Devola looked at Lars straight in the eye, "Don't... hold everything against yourself, alright, Lars?"

"I won't, I promise." responded Lars.

"Good. I'm glad we had this talk. A2 won't be back until sunrise, neither will 2B and 9S."

"Oh, alright." said Lars, he put his book back on the bookshelf and took off his arm. He climbed into his bed and prepared to go to sleep.

"Good night, Lars." said Devola, she kissed him on the forehead and walked out the room. Lars rolled to his side and faced the moon.

"Don't blame myself for bad things... Easier said than done..." he muttered before going to sleep.

 

*In the morning*

 

Lars felt gentle shaking on his shoulder. He slowly awoke to see that it was A2, calling him awake. She sat there, on his bed, looking at him with those eyes he loved very much. "Good morning, A2." he said.

She kissed him first, "Morning." said she, "Listen, sorry I got back so late, scouting in Avalon is harder than you think."

"It's alright, so how accurate was the info from Kantress and Mikhail?"

"It's spot on. The Jinzo really  _are_ rebuilding their army."

"How? I thought we wiped out most of their military."

"Yeah, but they still have a one million, due to cloning and using machines and mass production of those monsters we saw. They outnumber us androids, we only have about one thousand YoRHa troops and about eighty-nine thousand Resistance soldiers. Would you believe me if I told you YoRHa used to be way smaller?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, since we were so expensive and hard to make, but ever since we began fighting Jinzo, their tech is a lot like ours, we just modify a bit and we can increase production." 

"That's good to know." Lars began to get up and A2 got off his bed.

"I'll meet you outside, 2B and 9S are also outside. See you." She left the room. So Lars went to shower and brush, when he came out, there was food left for him. He got dressed and put his arm on, then he ate. After getting all his gear on, he went outside to greet his friends. "Ready to go?" asked A2.

"Wait, where?" asked Lars.

"Check your terminal." stated 9S. Lars looked at it and it read, "I need you and your team to do some recon in the city ruins. There have been reports of Sral being in the city, we must not waste this opportunity and kill him now.   -White".

"Oh, alright then. Let's go." Lars and his friends ran out to the city ruins. They began running through alley ways, scaling buildings. Lars flew up into the air with his wings, yet he saw nothing. They kept searching, destroying a few machines in the way. After a few hours, Lars sat on a piece of rubble, drinking some water. "Damn, where is he?" 

"We've basically scaled the entire city." 9S said, he was looking at a digital map of the city, "But we can't find him. Maybe those reports were old? Or maybe he left."

2B looked up all of the sudden. "Unless, he was only in the city so he can head somewhere. This place is the safest route to the different locations we been to. The flooded city, desert, and the forest."

"What're you suggesting?" asked A2.

"Maybe he was on his way to somewhere. But where is the problem."

"Say, come to think of it, we scaled the entire city, right, Nines?" asked A2.

9S looked confused, but answered anyway, "Y-yeah."

"We didn't see Emil once, or hear his little jingle. And he's usually in the city. Never saw him in the desert or anywhere else."

"What are you suggesting?" asked Lars. "That he was here for Emil?"

"Hang on, I think she's on to something." said 2B, "Remember how Kuro attacked Pascal's village?" everyone nodded. "What if Sral was the one who wanted him to go? Think of how many of his friends we've killed. Even his parents, are dead, so what if he's trying to hurt us back? By attacking those we care about."

"That sounds... highly reasonable." suddenly, horror filled his heart. The fact that Emil could be in danger right now made his heart sink. He had made Emil a promise that he would see Kainé and the others again. He wasn't going to break that promise. "Oh my God! Then we don't have a moment to spare!" h quickly put his mask on. "Scan for Emil!"

"Tapping into the Earth monitoring system. Located: The individual known as Emil currently in the desert." stated the mask.

"Then let's go." said Lars, he opened a portal to the desert. The all stepped in, a sandstorm was taking place, so the mask stayed on. "Damn. This is the worst time for a sandstorm."

"Look! Over there!" pointed 9S. His finger was pointed at several circular things sticking out of the sand. The four quickly ran over and saw Emil, he was toppled over and laying there, right next to giant heads of himself. 

"Emil!" Lars nearly shouted.

"Watch... out..." he responded weakly, "They've... been corrupted..." 

The ground began shaking suddenly. "What is THAT?" asked 9S.

*Emil (Despair)*

Suddenly, several Emil heads burst right out of the ground. They let out a blood curling scream as they rose. They began shooting balls of condensed magic everywhere, "Okay, this is NOT good!" stated A2.

"Alert: Magical weapons from the old world detected. Magical elements have a high probability of penetrating all defense systems. Proposal: Evade." said Pod-153.

"It's not that easy you dumb ass!" A2 evaded an attack and began dodging with the others. Lars put up a wall made of dark energy and managed it to deflect a few of the shots before shattering. 

"I... We're..." they echoed. The heads split apart and fell to the ground. 

"Start slashing! Adam! Eve! To me!" shouted Lars. As they attacking. Two pulses of light appeared in the sky, and Adam along with Eve dropped their heels on a head. However, no damage was done and they evaded some attacks. Lars slashed one several times and jumped back, he sent a giant fire-ball skimming the ground, turning sand to glass, toward a head. As the explosion cleared, it only had a few scratches. 

"Eternity... It hurts... It really hurts..." they all said. 2B smashed her combat bracer into one. But she was just hit back by another, she was getting up but two came charging from both sides and almost crushed her. But, Eve jumped in and got her out. 

"Thanks." said she. Eve nodded and turned back to activate his reflector. He sent the attack back, and the head was sent back a bit.

"Why just us... Why do we have to..." they asked, the Emil clones began shooting giant lasers out of their eyes, one of them hitting A2. 

"A2!" shouted Lars as he ran over to her. 

"Get back, gotta use a charge." she responded. A2 pulled out her pocket watch and pressed the switch. Lars jumped  back as the energy spread everywhere, A2 looked around and began attacking every head she saw. Lars looked at his Super-Nova lockets. But he just put them away, he pulled out his other sword and pulled the trigger. The blade glowed but it just had little to no effect on the head.

"We... We must... Kill them all! We don't need it! We don't need this world!" they screamed.

"Alert: Elemental output of magical weapons has increased." said Pod-042.

"No..." cried 2B.

"I don't know how much more of this I can take!" shouted 9S.

"This is batshit!" said A2.

"You've gotta be kidding me..." growled Eve.

"Damn it...!" yelled Adam.

"At this rate..." cursed Lars.

They all kept attacking the androids, machines, and cyborg. The Emil clones continued their unrelenting attacks, giving Lars and his friends little time to attack. 

"Those are... What happened to my clones." said Emil over the comms, "Years of multiplying... Years of fighting in wars... Their sense of self just deteriorated. And now this... they've been corrupted even further... I need to settle things with them. On my own."  

"Enough!" shouted 2B.

"Stop it! You need yo stand down!" yelled 9S to the clones.

"Shut up already, kid!" responded A2.

"No, Emil! We can handle this!" Lars screamed back to Emil, all ten of the tendrils connected and he began attacking one several times, until it stopped and put a field around itself and rolled off. "I got one!" The clones began singing some kind of lullaby with only "la" , Adam and Eve both attacked one simultaneously and eventually, stopped attacking and also put up a field and rolled off. A2 dodged a beam and went super speed to cut one up everywhere. 2B and 9S kept attacking one until it also submitted and rolled away.

"I... We tried out best! In the rain! In the wind! In the storm!" The attacks began increasing. "Even when our companions died, we kept fighting. But our eternal war... Our eternal pain..." they laughed maniacally for a moment. "The eternal pain! It screamed at us! It told us there was nothing of value to protect in this world... The world had no meaning! IT SCREAMED AT US!"

The number of attacking Emil clones began to decrease as Lars' forces started attacking them one by one. They laughed and laughed insanely.

*Emil (Sacrifice)*

But that laugh didn't last that long. It was soon turning into a cry of agony and sadness. There were two more now, "Don't let up!" shouted Lars, he pointed his sword at one of the clones, "Attack!" They all ran forward and began slashing and kicking away at it. Until eventually, Lars threw several dark-lances, disabling it. But the last one shot an exploding projectile at the six, sending all of them flying back.

"Aaah!" went 2B.

"STOP!" shouted 9S.

"Shit!" cursed A2 as she lay on the ground, the berserker effect wearing off.

"Damn it all..." said Adam.

"Can't move..." sputtered Eve.

"Emil..." said Lars.

The head came up in front of them, "You... All of you..." it shouted, "This pain! This sadness! This desperation! You know nothing about it!"

"But even so! All of this is wrong!" shouted Emil through the comms. "No matter how hard or how painful... They never gave up. They kept fighting because they believed they could overcome someday! Isn't that right Kainé!?" asked he. "Even if it's pointless, you still have to do it! Because this is the world my friend tried to save!"

The clones all grunted in shock. All of them started exploding, all except the one right in front of the six. It began spinning aggressively.

"Alert: Self-destruction imminent." stated the Mask. Lars forced himself up and fired the smash-cannon, incinerating the last clone. They all managed to get up and helped each other to where Emil was.

"I think... this is it for me. I can't believe I remembered something so important... right at the end. I'm sorry Lars, I don't think I'll be able to come with you on your way back."

"Emil..." said Lars.

"I was running... from the memories of losing those close to me... it was so hard, so painful... At the end, I did a lot of bad things for you guys."

"No... we can still repair you... bring you back to normal." said Lars desperately.

"Oh... I'm so glad... I got to see you all again..." and suddenly, he cut off.

*Fade*

"Just rest, Emil. Just rest..." said Lars, knowing that he had just died. He reached out and pulled the head right from the body. Lars opened a portal and the others followed him. Once again, Lars was going to give someone he held dear a proper burial. They were in another unfamiliar place, he looked at the streets once again. Until he found the house he was looking for and went into the back yard. 2B and A2 knew what to do and began to dig a hole for Emil. After the grave was done, Lars gently placed Emil inside and buried him.

"Goodbye, friend." said Lars. A call suddenly came in from command. "Lars here..." he muttered.

"Lars, come back to the Bunker. It's time to discuss Operation: Checkmate." 

 


	40. The Day Before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The decisive battle draws closer than ever. But first, preparations must be made, this'll give Lars a chance to talk to his friends for one last time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forty chapters. Man, this has been a long story, but the end draws near. Hope you all enjoy.

Lars walked with the other four through the Bunker. He was making his way to the Command center, it was time to discuss the final battle, after all. When he got there, the doors slid open and he stepped right in. He saw, some Jinzo defectors, Storm, Whisperer, Grimm, Anemone, several other Resistance commanding officers, Mikhail, Kantress, and of course, the Commander. She looked up from the holographic display of Avalon and the tower that had risen up so long ago and looked over at the six that just walked in. "Good, we're all ." said she. With her hand, she gestured Lars to come over. 

Lars walked over and stared at the display. "Avalon and the Tower, what about them?" he asked.

"We've finally made a plan of how we're going to infiltrate them. Starting with the Tower." responded White.

"Well, first, let's start with basic info." stated one of the male Jinzo officers. "Some of my agents have been inside the Tower, seems that Sral has made it into a base of some kind. It's got several soldiers inside and many machines, even one of the alternate versions of you is stationed there. But it's also where the Machine Network's main system is located. Meaning, we destroy the tower, we take out the machine network." 

"That'll in turn cripple the machines. They won't be able to come back in a different body anymore without the network." said another Jinzo officer. "But there's a catch." she added.

"What is it?" asked Lars.

"It's too complex. Simply hacking it won't do, we sent in a disguised scanner to try it. He got killed after the alarms went off, but he came back and managed to get us the info we needed." she bought up the system's hacking space picture. 9S started to study it, as Lars just looked on.

"So what do we do?" asked 9S.

"Well, we have two options. Those two machines." she pointed at Adam and Eve, "They've evolved to the point where they can take out the Machine Network, but it would in turn destroy them in the process. Isn't that correct?"

Adam took breath, "Yes," he responded, "Ever since we've managed to gain back our full power, we will be able to do it." he looked over at Lars, "Apologies for not telling you, but we're not just fragments anymore. Evolving machines, remember?" he smiled.

The officer cleared her throat, "The second option is this." she pulled out a drive of sorts. "This has a virus that we've been developing on it. We managed to infuse it with a bit of magic so it can overpower the network and bring it down for good." she handed it to Lars. He looked at it, and then back up.

"So, what's the actual plan?" he asked.

"We thought we'd leave that up to you." responded Anemone, "So let's hear it."

"Alright, then." said Lars, "Here's what I'm thinking, we go in, kill anyone trying to kill us, take down the other version of me, grab his soul and then destroy the network. Should be easy."

"Yeah, but what  _won't_ be easy is getting in, and getting to the actual system itself. The entrance has these, terminals you'll need to hack to gain entrance. Then, you'll have to rise through the Tower itself. Taking down any people in your way shouldn't be a problem, but their numbers are high, and it also has several machines with endless bodies. Also, guarding the system itself are elite Jinzo soldiers. I recommend taking a few extra soldiers with you." said Kantress.

"Don't worry, with those five with me, I'll be able to get through anything. I'm sure of it. Now what about Avalon?" 

"Well, we were thinking of attacking immediately after the Tower falls." said Anemone. "We're going to shell it. The Jinzo will likely put up a field around the city, but that's when teams of defectors and androids will strike. Right at this moment, they're already in the city, just waiting for the battle to start. They'll take out the generators and that's when we'll start the advance. We have gained three more ships from the defectors, the Kronos, Atlas and the Ferrum-Anima." Two holographic pictures of Jinzo ships appeared. "The ships we have will be standing by in the Mesosphere, once they get the signal, they'll begin dropping troops into Avalon."

Another android began to speak, "Our naval forces will provide fire support from the water. La Belle Femme and Yamato II are already there. But they're cloaked for now."

"Yamato II?" asked Lars, "The old Japanese warship back in World War Two?"

"Yup, we managed to salvage some of the frame and rebuilt it better than before. Anyway, the plan is that while we're occupying the soldiers, you go in via your flight unit and take down the remaining leaders and versions of yourself. After that, you can make that portal thing and take all of us left with you."

"That's the plan then. Got it, when does the operation commence?"

"Daybreak, get some rest." responded White. She took her hands off the counter, "This is the final operation against the machines. We are about to fulfill our goal, what we were all built for. After this, we will all have a new objective, help the humans in the new world. So let us win, and never look back!" she shouted. She put her left hand over her chest. Everyone else did the same, Adam and Eve included, "Glory! To Mankind!" they all shouted. Some of the operators  in the Bunker cheered. As everyone began to go to their positions to get everything ready, White walked over to Lars and his friends.

"Come with me, I've something to show you." said she. The six followed her to the hangar, where they saw yet another new flight unit. It was in mobile mode at the moment, the wings were larger, about the length of the Commander Type. It had four cylinders, two on each wing. It also didn't seem to have missile pods. A sword was held in one hand, and the other had a rail-cannon. "This, is the Flight Unit Zero." she stated, "It was originally meant for you," she looked at Lars, "But in testing, one of the defectors said that no human would be able to use it. The system is far too complex and the gun-barrels were nearly impossible to operate by a human."

"Gun barrels?" asked 9S, "Are those the things on the wings?"

"That is correct. They split off and can be operated by the pilot." a holographic screen showed a simulation. It showed the Zero in flight mode, the rail-cannon was pointed in front, it had no machine guns. The four barrels split off and went in different directions, their fronts opened and two barrels extended. They fired shells and made short work of the enemy. "A pod is needed for aid in the gun-barrel operation. So that's why I'm giving it to you, 2B."

"Me?" responded 2B. 

"Yes. You're going to be one of the aerial captains in the final battle in Avalon. Can you do that?" 

"Yes, ma'am."

"9S, you will be with Storm on the ground units. From what I've heard, you are his 'deputy captain'?" 

"That is correct." he responded.

"I suppose that means that A2 will be with you." she said to Lars.

"Understood." responded Lars.

"Good, we'll move the Zero onto the Will-O'the-Wisp. When you have taken out the Tower get 9S to Storm and then get to your ship. That'll be your way into Avalon."

"You got it. I guess that means the next time we see each other is when we're all heading to my world?"

"That is correct. Now go, I have to spread the message." she began to walk away but stopped a moment. "Adam and Eve, you two come with me. You may rejoin Lars after I'm done with you two." Eve waved goodbye to the others as he followed his brother. 

"Well, then. I suppose this means that we have to get the Zero onto the Will-O'the-Wisp. C'mon, let's go." Lars walked over to the hangar, "Get the Zero to the Will-O'the-Wisp." he said to one of the operators.

"Yes, sir." she responded. She called on others and they began operating the crane to get it to the Will-O'the-Wisp. Lars entered the ship to see the Zero in the hangar, then he headed to the bridge. The operators were all there to greet him and his friends. 

"Is the resupply done?" said Lars.

"We're all done, sir. Now we're awaiting your command." responded 18O.

"Alright then." Lars said as he sat in the chair, "Take us to Earth."

"Destination, Earth." stated 21O.

"All crew, we are preparing to lift off. Please secure any loose items or furniture. Repeat, we are preparing to lift off, please secure any loose items or furniture." spoke 91O.

The hooks on the hangar broke off, and the Will-O'the-Wisp began it's descent. "Make sure we go to the hangar. When we head off to the Tower tomorrow, have the ship on standby, when we return, bring the ship to the Mesosphere with the Hotarubi, Isaribi, Kronos, Atlas, and Ferrum-Anima."

"Understood." 

Shortly after entering the atmosphere, they entered the the hangar on Earth. 2B, 9S, and A2 all stepped off the ship. The sun was already setting, and Lars was exhausted. The thought of him returning home after so long felt so weird. He tried to think of how long he's been in this world. Then he remembered. Four months. He had been here for four whole months, it wasn't even that long, and so much happened. He had fought machines, an artificial race of humans, fell in love, died a few times, killed many including another version of himself, killed alternate versions of his parents, and lost a dear friend of his. Lars then remembered he was sill only fourteen, and he hadn't even started high-school yet.

"Lars?" asked 9S.

"Hmm?"

"We're heading back to the Resistance base."

"Oh, yeah. I was just thinking about how long I've been here. In my eyes, I am the most  _badass_ fourteen year old ever. I only finished eighth grade, I wonder how everyone else enjoyed their summer vacation."

"What's summer vacation?" asked A2.

"Oh, every school year ends and the students get this long break. It was summer before I got sucked into this world."

"That makes sense. Everyone needs a break, at one point." responded 9S, "Anyway, shall we go?" Lars nodded and they all headed to the Resistance camp. Anemone had returned, much of the equipment was gone, the tarps were all stored away, people were moving many things. "What's going on?" 

"We're packing the camp up. Taking whatever we can carry and bringing it on board the Hotarubi. After all, heading to the new world, can't just leave all this stuff behind." said Anemone as she walked up to them, "Most of the other camps around the world are packing up, too."

"Shouldn't we wait until  _after_ the final battle to pack?" asked Lars.

"Don't worry, we aren't packing everything. All the remaining ammunition is going to be packed after the battle. We'll be taking a Jinzo ship or two with us, for extra storage room." 

"Okay, but what about the naval ships?" 

"We can tow them." 

"Alright then, that answers all my questions."

"You should go get some rest then. You'll be waking up pretty early. Enjoy your room one last time for tonight. Not like we can pack buildings." Anemone told Lars before she walked away. Lars began to walk to his room with his friends and eventually made it there, he looked around. After he woke up, he assumed that this place would be cleared out, in a way, he felt a bit sad. He had been in this room for a quite a while now, and he had grown quite fond of it. He pulled up a chair and sat down near his bed, 9S sat  _on_ the bed, 2B remained standing but leaned on a wall, and A2 also sat on the bed. 

"Kinda hard to believe that I'm heading home tomorrow." stated Lars.

"I know, I mean, this world has been all we ever knew." said 9S, "We were made to fight a war that wouldn't really ever end. Who knows what would happen to us if you never showed up?"

"If it weren't for you, YoRHa would've likely fallen apart now." stated 2B, "And thanks to you, we all have a new goal. I finally had to stop killing 9S. Thank you." 2B let out a little grin.

"I really appreciate it, you guys. If you had never found me. Things definitely would've turned out differently. Maybe A2 and I could both be running from YoRHa." hearing this, A2 chuckled a bit.

"Definitely, I'm glad things turned out the way they did." 

Devola and Popola walked into the room and both smiled to see almost everyone was here. "Isn't this a surprise." said Devola.

"Almost everyone's here." added Popola. Suddenly, two pulses of light appeared, and they formed Adam and Eve. "I take it back, everyone is here."

"Well, I suppose we won't be all together like this for another while. So we should enjoy this moment. Eve, if you'd please." said Adam.

"I got it." responded Eve. He materialized a pot of tea while Adam gave everyone tea-cups. Eve poured everyone tea, they all began taking sips. 2B examined the pleasant bitterness, so did 9S, it was their first time drinking tea, after all. A2 also was weirded out, but she liked it nonetheless. Devola and Popola enjoyed it as well.

"Earl gray." stated Lars after a sip, "I haven't had it in so long."

"I knew you would like it." responded Adam with a smile. "I think it's finally time I told you why we decided to help you."

Lars and the others paused, "Go on." Lars said in response.

"When our consciousnesses awakened within your mind, we examined your memories. That's when I realized something, I was wrong. The core of humanity wasn't hatred or conflict. It was joy, happiness. You always seemed so happy, trying to spread that joy to people you met, I saw that your parents taught you a great many things. All your actions weren't because you were angry, it was because you wanted to feel happy again, that's what drove you. At least in the past, so I thought I would like to use you and experience happiness for myself. Over time I realized that I was already happy when I began helping YoRHa, so even if I didn't tell you, I swore would fight by your side, now and forever."

"Same goes for me." added Eve.

"Then I'm really glad that you're on our side." responded Lars.

"Then I suppose that concludes it. I will be heading to my little city one last time. Not like we'll be taking the entire thing with us. After all, I'm positive that we'll be seeing all of the real things back in your world." Adam paused before he left, "Keep the tea cups. I suppose they're presents. Well then, see you in the morning, we're coming with you." With that, Adam and Eve teleported out of the room, leaving the others there. 

"So, this is it." stated Popola out of nowhere. "After the battle tomorrow. If all goes to plan, then we'll be in the new world."

"Yeah. We're finally going to be free of this place. And we'll see the humans again." said Devola. She looked at Lars, "We're going along with you tomorrow."

"Wait, what?" asked 9S. "You two? No offense, but you two aren't even combat androids."

"Let them go with us." said Lars suddenly.

"What? You can't be serious."

"I am, Nines. They've proven they can take care of themselves. I wouldn't worry about it. Plus, one of us can just use one of our lockets. We just gotta make sure to kill the version of me that's dwelling in the Tower."

9S looked kind of hesitant, "Well, I hope you're right." He looked at the clock. "Would you look at the time, we should go."

"We'll be in our room. See you tomorrow." said 2B as she and 9S walked out of the room.

"I'll bring food by later." said Popola as she left the room. Devola waved goodbye, and also stepped out, leaving A2 and Lars. 

"It's just us now..." Lars suddenly got an idea, "Come on, I want you to come somewhere with me." A2 nodded and stood up.

"Where are we going?" asked she. 

"Do you remember the twenty story one? Where I fired the Smash-Cannon for the first time."

"That place? Why there?"

"It's got a great view. C'mon, let's watch the stars."

Lars opened up a portal to the charred building. The chunks were still missing and the path of the blast was still visible, even in the night. The view was beautiful though, Lars and A2 sat on the edge of the building and stared off into the distance. They exchanged words, and just looked into the stars and the moon. Until A2 finally said, "I think it's time I finally told you why I deserted YoRHa." Lars looked at A2. Curiosity peaked his interest, A2 had never told him why she had left before. Now she was finally going to, he gave her the look that said "go on".

"It was the year 11941. Four years ago, me and a team of eleven other androids were sent on a mission to destroy an enemy server under a mountain. The mission was completely classified, only the elite of the elite could look into it. It was also a great field-test for us, being new at the time. I'm a prototype, my model would be developed into the 2B and 9S models. Anyway, on our way down, we were attacked and only four of us made it out alive, me, A4, G16, and S21. Since A1, our leader died, I assumed command. After we landed, we managed to meet up with nine Resistance androids. They were Lilly, Erica, Sonia, Shion, Gerbera, Margaret, Anemone, and their captain, Rose."

"Anemone?" asked Lars.

"Yeah, we go way back. Anyway, it turns out they were from a team from two-hundred years ago. We took down the machines that were attacking, but since we were classified, they didn't really know if they could trust us or not. Anemone was especially skeptical, since we all wore visors, she couldn't even tell what we were thinking from out looks. I knew that the moment she looked at us. We had to explain that we were new models, but once again, classified, so they questioned it. Hell, Anemone even wanted to kill us, because our mission was supposed to be classified. Rose tried to calm Anemone down, but that made Lilly start questioning if we were even androids or not. A fight between us almost broke out, but I managed to speak up."

"I told them that we just lost the majority of our team and we needed allies. I told them about our mission and Rose let us join. Overtime, we would start to become friends. Heh, we even almost got named, but I suggested that we wait until after the mission was complete for out names to be given out. We all were friends, but Anemone still didn't trust us. I believe Lilly found out and was going to talk to her, but just then, she was infected by a logic virus." A2 slumped her head down a bit, "That's when the screaming started and we all drew our weapons on instinct. S21 tried to stop us, but Lilly already started attacking. It seems that her limiters were taken off and we were sent flying."

"Even G16 couldn't hold her down. And some of us considered her the muscle. Me and A4 had to hold her down as S21 was trying to reprogram her. Much to my surprise, even Anemone helped hold her down. I suppose I'll never know why she did, even though she never really trusted us. Maybe because Lilly was her friend, or her opinion on us was changing. I don't really know, but to make a long story short we managed to cure Lilly. When we finally got to the mountain, we were greeted by heavy fire from enemy machines. I tried contacting Command, but soon realized that we were abandoned. G16, Dhalia, Margaret, and Lilly all agreed to stay behind so we could go. We had all excepted we were going to die, so we just decided to make this our final mission."

"The rest of us got to the elevator and went down. S21 said she would stay behind to gain access to the system via hacking. And so did Anemone, it was out of nowhere but Rose agreed. We were moving through the compound when a huge explosion signaled that the ones outside were dead. I wanted to go back, but Rose told me that this was out 'fate', we were made to serve the humans who couldn't fight the war. I wasn't afraid to put my life on the line for humans, but I didn't want to go through the pain of losing my friends. We fought our way through the terminal. When we found it, we were confronted by two... children dressed in red. They kept planting seeds in my head that made me question what I was fighting for."

"Several machines were sent out. Slowly, one by one of us were killed. Eventually, Rose was killed, too. A4 was wounded, and as I was defending her, she thanked me for giving her a reason to fight. The terminal kept making me question myself until eventually, it told me only an explosion could destroy it. A4 got up and ran over to it and..." she sniffed a bit and wiped a tear, "I watched as she self-destructed." A2 said with a cracking voice. After a moment, she picked herself up again. "I knew that Command had betrayed us. So I left... I was made only to be cast away, and I hated that fact. Over the years I kept fighting machines and androids who went after me. Until I met you..." she looked at Lars and smiled, tears still in her eyes. "And that's the story of me. Everyone I knew was dead, but, God told me they're in heaven, and that makes me really happy."

"A2..." said Lars, "I'm glad that you kept on living. Otherwise, I would've never met you, let's keep living. So you can remember your friends and continue to honor them." he let out a smile.

"Thanks for that." responded A2. "Come on. You should sleep soon." Lars nodded and got back to his room. Food was already on the counter. He ate, washed up and prepared to go to bed. A2 stayed in the room. She turned off the light, kissed Lars goodnight, and sat down in a chair to sleep.

"Tomorrow is the final battle..." said Lars. He looked out his window into the night, and closed his eyes. For tomorrow was the battle that would decide everything. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flight unit Zero based off Moebius Zero from Gundam Seed.  
> And Happy Christmas!


	41. The Tower Pt.1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to go into the Tower. Reports indicate that one of the versions of Lars resides within the structure. But which one?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gonna alter the Tower's structure and the path to take. Meaning, the order of the rooms will be different.

The voice of a female was waking him up. Except it sounded different, when he opened his eyes, it was Popola. "The sun has risen. The others are outside, we packed up mostly everything in your room while you and A2 were asleep." Lars looked around to see that the entire room was bare, except for his bed and blanket and the stuff in the bathroom. "Wash up, we have some food packed for you outside. After you leave, I'll pack the rest of your stuff, I'll be quick. Don't worry." Lars nodded and quickly showered and brushed, whilst he did, Popola quickly packed the rest of his stuff.  Lars came out and got dressed, he put his arm on and checked all of the armaments. He placed his Type-4O sword on his left hip side and Emil's sword underneath it. The right side had the mask and the gun under it. Lars grabbed the blade the Caim had given to him, he placed the scabbard on the back of his hip. 

"I'm ready." he said. He opened a portal to the Hotarubi, and Popola put the things in. She grabbed her sword and placed it on her right hip. "Let's go." said he. Lars had all of his gear on. Every single he had, he had with him now, admittedly, it was quite heavy. But it didn't hinder him one bit. When they got outside, they were greeted by Adam, Eve, 2B, 9S, A2, and Devola. Lars opened a broadcast on many android and allied Jinzo channels. "This is it everyone. We take down the Tower, and we go to Avalon. After that, whether we head to the new world or not depends on me. So I'll ask you all one last time, will you all fight and lay down your lives for me? If anyone wishes to back out, now's your chance, the Jinzo still outnumber us."

Lars waited and got signals back from many of the leaders. In all of them, there was no trace of backing out or fear. Instead, they all thanked him for giving them a new purpose to fight, and that they were all willing to fight with him. "Thank you, for sticking with this foolish Commander. I look forward to seeing all of you fight bravely on the front lines, the operation begins... now. 0C, out." With that, the androids at the camp cheered and began rolling out to Avalon. He turned to Anemone.

"Maybe I'll see you on the field." said she.

"Definitely." responded Lars, Anemone turned to leave, but Lars stopped her, "Anemone!" he nearly shouted.

She turned, "Yes?"

"You won't be losing anymore friends today. I won't let it happen."

She stared a moment then nodded, "I'm glad you know, sir." then she began ordering the others and moved out with them.

Lars turned back to the others. "Ready to go?"

"We're right behind you." responded 9S, "Now let's go." 

*Transition*

They all got the sinkhole. As the intel said, there were three terminals to hack. Lars decided to just open a portal to go inside the tower, but the portal just closed the moment it opened up. "Won't be able to get in that easily." said a child's voice.

"That voice..." growled 2B, "It's Pallad."

"Damn." Lars looked at 9S, Adam, and Eve, "Looks like we gotta do this the old fashion way. You guys up for it?" 

"Of course. Eve, take that one." said Adam. Eve nodded and got over to a terminal, so did 9S. As they waited, machines began to drop. 

*Song of The Ancients (Fate)*

"We've got company!" shouted Lars. He fired the smash-cannon straight into the air. Many of the descending machines were destroyed, but more of them kept coming. Lars drew the Type-4O and Emil's sword. The others drew their weapons as well, 2B with her normal sword, A2 grabbed her sword mace, Devola and Popola with Type-3 swords. "Provide the three with cover until they can try the entrance of the Tower!" 

"Roger that!" the others shouted back. They all ran around and began slashing away at all the machines that touched down. 2B cut one right in half, she threw her sword into another one and fired her pod-laser into it. The sword dematerialized and appeared back into her hand. She drew her lance and spun it around, hitting the machines around her. A2, with one wide swoop, decapitated several machines around her. With the sword-mace's flat side, she swung it down onto another machine, crushing it completely. 

Devola parried an axe from a machine, as the machine swung it's weapon down again, she put her sword up and blocked it. Popola then proceeded to cut right through the machine. They moved on to the next one and both slashed it at once, dispatching it easily. They saw machines going toward Adam and Eve.

"Oh, no you don't!" shouted Devola. She grabbed a handful of machines with a dark-arm and flung them into another group advancing toward Eve. Popola threw dark-lances into the pile and they all exploded. Lars was using Emil's sword to block and parry attacks, and his modded Type-4O to attack. He pulled the trigger and sliced clean through a machine's leg, he rolled over the back of it to cut another machine right in half. Using his leg, he kicked the machine missing a leg into the air where A2 stabbed it with her 4O lance.

"How's it going?" he asked 9S as he blocked a machine's spear from hitting 9S.

"Almost there, just a bit more time!" responded 9S. Lars nodded and activated his time-manipulation and destroyed the machines within ten feet. "Got it! Now the Tower's actual entrance!"

Adam and Eve also finished up at the same time. "9S, you go do the Tower's entrance. We will aid the others in holding them off!" shouted Adam. 9S nodded and ran over to the lock. He began hacking, machines began heading for him, but 2B came in and destroyed all of them with her larger sword. She ran forward and materialized both of her combat bracers, she shot the both of them into larger machines, destroying them. Adam slammed his leg into a machine and sent it flying. He saw multiple machines closing in and used his field. As they attacked, he chuckled, the chuckle evolved into a laugh as he sent their absorbed attacks right back at them. They all exploded mid-air, Eve punched the ground and pillars of energy came up, annihilating any machine above them.

Devola and Popola both slashed a gigantic machine simultaneously. When it attacked, they both dodged and Lars ran up and jumped. His wings came out and he shot seven fire balls into the machine's face, momentarily blinding it. Devola and Popola then both fired one black orb that just ate it's way through the torso of the machine, consuming it's core. As it fell over, Lars impaled a machine that was coming up behind Devola as Adam kicked another going behind Popola. A2 went berserk and nearly flew around, cutting up machines left and right. She and Lars nodded and he sheathed his swords, he fired a blast right at her feet, A2 was sent flying and cut another giant machine in half with the 4O blade. Lars saw some kind of mantis-like machine. This time, he extended his sonic blade from his arm and ran in front of it.

The machine itself was quite fast, it's bladed arms almost cutting Lars. But he activated the time manipulation and with one fell swoop, he decapitated it. Lars now put his mask on, "Switch to Gunner type."

"Converting." stated his mask. Lars grabbed his gun and pinpointed several ricochet points. He fired two shots from his gun and they ricocheted off several machines, each of them being killed from the shots. Next, he locked onto a tall machine. The machine swung it's fist at Lars, but Eve came up and blocked the attack. Lars was at Eve's side and shot right through the machine's head from the bottom up. Next up was a hoard of small machines armed with buzz-saws. Adam jumped in and stood on his left, Eve on his right. The three of them began shooting at them, Lars with bullets, Adam and Eve with energy shots.  

"Back to cyborg." commanded Lars.

"Converting" Lars felt his senses go back to normal. He reloaded and then holstered his gun. Lars drew both of his swords again and ran forward, he pulled the trigger and sliced right through a machine's torso. A2's berserk mode ran out of time and she was temporarily stunned, four machines saw this as their chance to take her out, but all of them were cut out of the air by Lars. As she recovered, Lars along with 2B provided her with cover. Adam punched a machine into the air and kicked it several times before kicking it back down into another group of machines. Eve slammed an energy arm into several smaller machines, Devola used a dark arm to do the same. A2 had now fully recovered, she got back up and used both her long-sword and 4O sword to dual wield as well. She ran up to a machine that Lars was having a power struggle with and cut it clean in half. She and Lars both moved onto a giant machine that 2B was fighting.

Lars jumped over 2B and sliced one of the arms off. A2 then came from 2B's left side and cut the leg off. The machine now didn't have the means to stand up, it fell to the floor and 2B finished it off with her sword by stabbing it through the head. "Appreciated." she said. A2 and Lars both ran off to begin dispatching more. 2B saw some machines look at 9S and begin heading toward him. She quickly ran over in front of them and then destroyed all of them with her small and large sword. 2B ran forward again and used her combat bracers to pound machine's heads into their bodies whilst she commanded her pod to make spears come out of the ground, impaling several machines. At the same time, Lars, Devola, and Popola did the same thing, this time using dark pikes coming out of the ground. They kept providing 9S with cover, but he too was facing difficulty.

*Transition*

"What's... this barrier?" asked 9S. He was looking at several cores, except they all had fields surrounding them.

"Analysis: It is part of a closed defensive system." said Pod-153.

"Well then how do I break it down!?"

"Hypothesis: Unit 9S could permit his self-consciousness data to lose control. The resulting energy surge has an acceptable probability of temporarily paralyzing the barrier."

"That's almost as bad as not going in at all!" 

9S was forced out of hacking space. He was sent off his feet and onto the ground with a shout. "What happened?" asked Lars as he ran up to him. A machine came up and he blocked it. Popola ran up and placed both her hands on the barrier, it began electrifying her and she began screaming in pain.

"Popola!" both Adam and Devola screamed.

"No don't! You can't do anything! The walls got a self-closing algorithm!" shouted 9S.

"Enough! Devola and I, we have to atone for our sins no matter what!"

"But if you do that, your circuits will implode!" At this moment, Lars slashed the machine in half and ran up behind Popola. He grabbed her shoulder and  _threw_ her aside. "I though I said I would have  _none_ of that!!" he screamed as he stabbed his mechanical arm into the barrier and coursed electricity through the arm into the barrier. Lars began getting electrified and also began screaming in pain, "I alreadytold you! You can atone by LIVING! And help me see. This. THROUGH!" the doors began opening. "Everyone through! NOW!" he shouted. 

Devola helped Popola up and got inside, 2B grabbed 9S. Adam, Eve, and A2 also went through. "Lars! Come on! Hurry!" shouted Devola. Lars began trying to take his arm out of the barrier, but it was very difficult. Machines began coming up behind him, he drew Emil's sword and began slashing at them. Until, his arm exploded from the continuous electrifying. He screamed in agony and fell to the floor, clutching the stump of his artificial limb. The doors began closing, Adam, Eve, and A2 all went out to retrieve Lars. Adam and Eve kicked machines away as A2 picked up Lars and got inside the Tower, Adam and Eve slipped through as the doors slammed shut.

*Fade*     

They were all in some room now. It began rising and they all assumed it was an elevator of some sort. "So you made it through." Pallad chuckled. "Guess I should be expecting you. Oh, well. See you all there." said he, happiness apparent in his tone.

"Pod, begin applying staunching gel to Lars." said 2B. As Pod-042 began spraying the gel onto the stump of Lars' arm, she walked up to him and knelt in front of him. "Can you still fight?"

"Yeah, just not as good. My dominant hand was my left, but I'll be fine with my right, just going to need you guys to provide cover. Remember, our objective is to terminate the machine network. It's main system should be here, if we destroy it, then we completely cripple the machines, they'll be as good as dead." Lars pulled out the drive he was given. "I just hope it works. I mean, this should be able to just completely destroy the network itself."

"Another thing."

'What is it, 2B?"

"When we get to Pallad. Let me take him on."

"Why?" 

"What he did to 9S... I can't let that slide."

"Revenge, huh? Fine, then might I give you a few tips?"

"Go on ahead."

"Don't let your thirst for vengeance cloud your head for too long, you'll definitely lose that way." stated Lars.

"Understood." responded 2B.

"The doors are opening, get ready." said Eve. Lars got up with the help of 2B and drew his 4O sword. The door opened, they were shown this long hall way, and several Jinzo soldiers. 

"Intruders!" they shouted. The soldiers began firing machine guns, pinning them down. Some of them drew their swords and began running forward, but then the gunfire stopped. As they entered the elevator, they were killed and the bullets started coming again.

"I've an idea." said Lars, the others listened in. "Adam, Eve, when their close combat soldiers start coming, then you guys go out there, that's when their machine guns stop firing. Run out there and use your absorption fields after killing those guys."

Adam and Eve both stood at opposite door ways. They waited, when the next two swordsmen started charging, they also ran out. Eve punched a hole right through one of them, while Adam kicked the other off a ledge. As the machine guns started to shoot again, the both of them activated the fields. With a shout, the both of them sent the flurry of the bullets right back at the gunners. "Clear." Adam called. The other six stepped out of the elevator. Lars looked around, he had never seen a structure so strange before. Cubicle chunks were everywhere, and the structural design was very medieval or modeled after a church. 

Structures hung from the ceiling. As they kept running, they ran into what appeared to be, YoRHa units? "What in the-" asked 9S. Bit they began attacking.

"What are they doing?" asked Popola. 

"Analysis: These are copies of YoRHa units made by the machine network. No black boxes detected." stated Pod-153.

"This makes it easier then." said Eve. He kicked one back and then grabbed  her with an energy arm, he then flung her off the ground they stood on. Devola blocked an attack that would've hit Lars, and he stabbed the false YoRHa member. 2B parried another's lance and then evaded, she grabbed her pod and fired a bomb into the unit's body. The explosion destroyed her. 

"That was the last of them. Let's keep going." said Lars. He began running with the others. 

"Hello! This is your ever-so-hospitable host speaking! Thank you for visiting the Tower today! I have a special prize for you all in a room that's just ahead! I'm sure you're all going to  _love_ it!" said Pallad happily. They made their way up some stairs with several gaps. Another false unit stood there, waiting for them with a 4O blade. But she was no match for all of them at once. After she was quickly killed the doors to the room in front opened. A2 looked around, there was no other way around it, so they had to go in.

The room was quite dark. They all went in, when they tried to run through, several figures dropped from the ceiling. They all stood up, revealing themselves to be 2B models. All of them went into a circle formation and readied their weapons. "9S." they all spoke.

"What the-?"

"We have to kill you again. Don't worry it'll be quick, as we have in the past." all of them said once.

9S remained silent, "9S, don't listen to them!" shouted back 2B.

"Nines, they're trying to get into your head." said Lars, "Don't let them win!"

"9S, you know the truth. You have to die now."

They all began attacking and the others began fighting back, 9S just stood there. "What's wrong, 9S?" asked Pallad, "Didn't you know? 2B's killed you so many times, and for what? To stop you from knowing the truth?" he laughed manically, 2B began to shake and hesitate."So, what're going to do abou-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!!" 9S screamed. Pallad let out a grunt of shock, "I already told myself I don't care about what happened in the past... So how dare you make copies of 2B!" he drew his sword and began fighting as well, "I don't care if she's killed me in the past! I'm not going to let these damn copies get into my head. And I certainly won't let  _you_ deface her image!" 2B let out a little smirk and a small sigh of relief. 

"Thank you, Nine-ze." she muttered.

"Eh? What you just said right now." 9S said. "Did you just call me-"

"Talk later!" shouted A2 as she threw her lance into a 2B copy that was going to stab 9S. Lars parried a sword and cut the arm off of the 2B copy. She screamed but he silenced her before she could scream for too long. 9S through his sword to deflect a blade that would've hit him, he materialized his sword in his hand and stabbed her. But the number of the 2B fakes were increasing, so 9S had the perfect idea.

He took off his visor to reveal his eyes were green. Suddenly, the room's floor turned to water. The false 2B units sank in and the others remained on the surface of the small lake. The models struggled to get up from the water and were picked off one by one. When all of them were dead, they started beeping. "Bombs!" shouted 2B. 9S quickly made them sink deeper into the water and they all exploded simultaneously. No one was harmed by the explosion, but the shortwaves sent everyone off their feet. The water dissapeared, and the doors opened. They all advanced forward again, a few Jinzo soldiers attacked, but were easily killed.

"Something's off..." said Popola.

"Yeah, I thought this place was a stronghold." said Devola, "But where are all the soldiers?"

"Look, up ahead." pointed Adam. His finger was directed at a dark corridor, with doors that surely lead to another room. "I think something may be behind those doors."

"In any case, be ready for anything. Adam and Eve, you guys are the vanguard. 2B, A2, take the rear. Devola, Popola, Nines, with me in the middle." ordered Lars. His sword was at the ready, they all proceeded with caution. Adam and Eve put their hands on the doors, Eve looked back. "Open it." responded Lars.

The doors opened to reveal a library. "What's up with this place?" asked A2 as she looked around.

"It's... a library?" asked Lars. "What is  _this_ doing here?" 

A2 was walking up to one of them, "Operational Summary of Number-Two in Project: YoRHa." she said as she walked up. What she saw shocked her, "What?" she asked. "2B." she called.

2B quickly came over and also took a look at the book. She saw a summary of not only A2, but herself as well. She began reading every fact about her, A2 did the same. Their past, what had happened A2 four years ago, and what 2B once was. All of it, was there. "Just how long have we been watched?" asked 2B. A2 shrugged and placed the book back, they rejoined the others in looking around. Adam and Eve looked around, Eve found a book that the cover looked very similar. "Brother."

"Hm?" asked Adam, he walked over and took a look at the cover. The others did as well. 

"This is the symbol that was on my chest." said Eve. It was two faces merging together, Eve also took a look at the writing, it was in a completely different language. "Speak not the Watchers, Draw not the Watchers, Write not the Watchers, Sculpt not the Watchers, Sing not the Watchers, Call not the Watcher's name?" Eve asked.

"The Watchers?" Lars suddenly realized something, "Hey, that symbol. There's one like it in the book that Caim gave me."

"E-Eve. You can read it?" asked Adam, "That language is... other-worldly, how?" Adam took the book and flipped through the pages, but when he got to the final page, he was mortified. It was titled "machines". He began reading, "At this rate, we will surely meet our end. So we must place our influence somewhere else, and we have chosen a ripe place." he said. The bottom of the page showed two beings, they looked exactly like Adam and Eve. "They will be the ones who continue our legacy. Even if they are machines." Adam looked back at the others, "We're... part of a cult?"

"That still doesn't explain why you don't know until-" suddenly, the entire shook, cutting Lars off. A giant machine crashed right through the ceiling. It was just like that ball-like machine the Lars, 2B, and A2 faced in the factory. 

It began laughing maniacally. "Now you've found out the truth!" it laughed. "HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!" it had both a young girl and old man's voice. It began shooting missiles. "But the so-called 'gods' couldn't hold their influence on you. They injected you two into us and then tried to take over. But they were nearly out of power by then, so all we had to do was a little reprogramming. And you would forget your influence by the Watchers."

Lars evaded one of the attacks and tried to slash back, "Shaddup!" he shouted. But the blade bounced off, even though he had pulled the trigger.

"But it was thanks to that. It was thanks to you two, that we were able to craft our own humans. Yes, they are  _based_ off of your design." said the machine.

Everyone seemed shocked. They looked over at Adam and Eve, both of them just standing there. "Is that so?" asked Adam, "Well, then. That fully erases any questions I had. It seems I don't have to read into my existence anymore." he chuckled. "So that's why we're so much more advanced than other machines." said Adam. Right at that moment, the tail of the machine shot out. He put up his field and absorbed the attack, then sent it back at them. "I was originally made by other worldly beings. Oh well, that doesn't change a thing." he pointed at the giant machine, "I don't  _like_ you and I want absolutely nothing to  _do_ with you. These people are my friends, and I shall fight by their side, now and forever." 

Eve let out a laugh and also began attacking along with Adam and the others. "Hang on, I think something's coming back!" he smiled, and his eyes flashed. The tattoo he had on his left arm began to grow again. They grew until half of his body was covered in black markings. Eve's attacks were getting stronger and stronger. He was literally making gigantic dents in the machine's outer layer. Eventually, it laughed and just jumped away. The doors opened, "No time for questions. Let's keep going." said Eve, the marking retreating back to his arm. 

They moved past the doors and got to some kind of platform. There was a doorway, but it closed itself. Two holographic girls appeared. "You all can go past this room, only if you destroy your enemies here." they said. They all looked behind them. Jinzo and machine descent forces were touching down. All eight of them charged. Lars slashed right through a machine with his blade. 2B and A2 made short work of the machines that attacked. Devola and Popola were also cutting down enemies left and right. 9S was aiding Lars in defense. Adam kicked a machine right into Eve's fist, tearing a hole through it. Eve turned and stabbed his arm into a Jinzo soldier's chest. He then pulled out her core, in such a fashion that seemed like he was ripping the heart out.

The enemies were either, killed by blunt force, killed by cuts, or torn to pieces. "Very impressive. The doors are open."

"But.  _One_ of you guys has to stay down here. I mean, it can't be play time without a play- _mate_." said a voice. He dropped down and revealed himself to be none other than Pallad. 

"You guys go on ahead." said 2B. She drew her sword and put it front of 9S before he can protest. "I'll take him down for sure, and I'll catch up."

9S hesitated. "Alright then. Score me some revenge to, okay 2B?"

"You got it." 9S nodded and ran through the door with the others. Leaving Pallad on the platform with 2B.

"I always wanted to play with you." he giggled. A flash of light happened and all of the sudden, they were inside of an absolutely enormous cathedral. Adorned with chandeliers and stained glass. "A perfect setting, don't you think?" 

*Cradle of Eternity (Yuko Suzuhana)*

"I don't intend on holding back in this duel. Today, I'll kill you for sure!" 2B shouted back. Before Pallad could do anything else, she took out the locket she had and crushed the gem within. Golden light exploded everywhere, Pallad shielded his eyes, and when he put his arms down, he saw that 2B had changed. She was now clad in white with a cape, her skirt was now more of a dress that went down to her knees, and she seemed to be radiating a heavenly light. 

"Changing colors again?" asked Pallad angrily. He ran forward and began swinging his axe at 2B. She moved to deflect his axe, as she did, she grabbed her larger sword and swung down. Pallad evaded but with a small gash going down his left side. "How about this!?" his left eye glowed blue and 2B couldn't move, she was immediately sent to her knees. It was as if she was being crushed by a weight beyond comprehension, yet, she withstood it. 

 _"Gravity."_ thought 2B. "Dear heavenly lord, remove this power." she spoke out loud. Suddenly, a ray of golden light rained down on 2B, then she could move. 2B jumped back to evade Pallad's swing. 

"What?! How!" he yelled. 

"So, this is Angelic Locket. Fitting." responded 2B. "Don't you get it? God himself is lending me a hand." she ran forward at full speed to clash into Pallad. "You don't stand a chance! I don't care if you're the most powerful out of the other versions, you're nothing against me!"

"Get REAL!" he broke the power struggle and sent 2B back. He spun the head of his axe around and began shooting. 2B blocked the shots, as Pallad fired two more, she just raised her blade slightly to block the other two. 2B put her sword in her other hand and swung it to try and kill Pallad, but he blocked just in time. She saw his right eye flash red, 2B's cape became angel's wings and flew up as Pallad let out a scream. Red energy burst out of his mouth and it destroyed everything it touched, some of the stained glass windows shattering. "Get down from there! That's no fun!" he jumped up and slammed his axe into 2B's sword.

The force was enough to send her into the ground. As the wings retracted, she got back up and saw Pallad firing down a spread shot. 2B raised a shield made of glass that shattered when the shots hit. 2B threw her sword aside and held out her arms, the pieces of glass formed into small swords. She shot both arms out toward Pallad, the swords launched themselves to Pallad. He did his best to intercept them, but got hit many times. Pallad sent another chaos wave down, 2B was hit this time. Quickly getting up, she saw Pallad dropping down, but she got her sword to block just in time, "Why are you always fighting so hard!?" he screamed.

2B hit him back and traded slash for slash and parry for parry. He tried to hit her left, but she blocked it just in time. His attacks were fast but sloppy, 2B could counter easily, and could also land precision strikes. "You're just going to die one day! Or keep dying! So why try!?" 2B didn't answer, she just kept slashing. "Life's just going to end, so why even try to live?  _Everything_ needs a reason to live!"

"That's where you're wrong!" shouted 2B back finally, she hit Pallad back and disappeared. Suddenly, several slashes landed on Pallad and 2B reappeared to kick him into a wall. 

Pallad wiped some blood off his head and turned on his invincibility. "You're telling me you don't need a reason to live? That's ridiculous!" he jumped forward and managed to score several hits on 2B. "You can exist, without a reason?" he brought his axe into 2B's shoulder, causing her to scream in pain. But that was short-lived, as he bought the axe out, 2B kneed him in the crotch making him recoil in pain. 

"I  _used_ to need a reason. But through Lars, I've seen I don't need one!" she raised her sword, light rained down and several orbs of light appeared. They all circled around her and she sent them to Pallad, they all stuck to him and exploded. "I'm just going to live to keep being able to love those around me! Lars! A2! And 9S! I don't need a reason like you do!" she charged forward and slammed her leg into Pallad's face, he bought his axe up to counter 2B's sword. 

"Fine! I'll just kill every single one of them! And then we'll see if you can still carry on living! How about it?"

"Not going to happen." 2B was suddenly behind Pallad and sliced his left arm clean off, just like she did with Lars. 

"UUWWAAAAH!" he screamed, "H-how?! I"m supposed to be invincible!" he was kicked in the back by 2B and sent straight into a wall. "N-no. I'm supposed to be the ultimate game master... The world has no point, so I made it all into a game... to give it one!" he fired the shots from his axe, "So you kill me, the entire multi-verse won't have a point anymore!"

"Just because you were a mistake, doesn't mean everything else is." 2B jumped into the air and flew forward, to slash more of Pallad's left arm off. And that she did, blood splattered on her dress, but didn't stain it. She equipped her lance and blocked the axe, she whacked the axe out of his hand and jumped back far enough for her to be able to throw the lance and impale him right in the shoulder, sending him into a wall and making him stay there. 2B knew that the time had come to finish off this pitiful child.

 2B jumped back very far. Four wings made of white light appeared on her back. She jumped up and it began raining feathers down. 2B placed both hands on her sword and swung as hard as she could. Four blue fireballs with golden centers came out of the slash and flew in Pallad's direction. All he could do was flail his arms pointlessly as the fireballs all exploded in front or on him. Finally, 2B threw her sword aside, two more wings formed up on her right leg and she was sent forward.

"HAAAAAAH!" screamed 2B as she kicked Pallad right in the chest.  

*Fade*

The following explosion destroyed the entire cathedral. It just reverted back to the platform they stood on. 2B landed softly and finally, her power deactivated, she was back to wearing her black uniform. Pallad was on his knees, looking very pathetic, a shadow of who he once was. When 2B first saw him, he was arrogant, young, psychotic. But now, he was a sniveling bloody mess. She had done it, she had gotten revenge, for herself, and for 9S. "It's over." she said. 

Pallad began to disintegrate. "No. No! NO!" he screamed. He managed to get back to his knees and scrambled over to 2B. He placed his lone arm on her shoulder and looked at her straight in the eye. "Help me..." he uttered. 2B said nothing, she just removed her visor to reveal her eyes. They were filled with apathy, "I don't want to die..." he whimpered, "Who's going to give everything a purpose...?" 2B took his arm off her shoulder and lightly threw him to the ground. "2B..." he sniveled. With that, he fully dissapeared, a ball of red and blue light came up and flew elsewhere. 

"Now, you must reach your friends." said the network avatars. "Better get moving."

2B didn't say a word. She put her visor back on and rushed past the door way to see a lone flight unit. She quickly climbed into it and took off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think I'll be able to finish before the year ends.  
> All music goes to it's creators yada yada.  
> Can you spot the part where Adam talks like Grimoire Weiss?  
> And 2B also has a rider kick! Go figure.


	42. The Tower Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While 2B's fight with Pallad is taking place, the other seven make their way through the tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is indeed taking place while 2B is fighting Pallad.

They made it though the corridor. Lars noticed that 9S kept looking back. He slowed his pace a bit to run right next to 9S, "Look, I know you're worried. But 2B's going to be fine, believe in her." said Lars. 9S nodded and faced forward, they went up a flight of stairs and reached a platform, the bridge that lead to the next was blocked off. "Damn it. How do we get through here? Is there another test?" he asked. No response from the machine network. 

"I have an idea. Lars, could you call my flight unit over? Your mask should be able to do it." said Adam.

"Why not call flight units for all of us?"

"Because I have a feeling that ball like machine is going to return again. And it has another unit that it may be able to combine with. Past that wall, there is a platform, it seems to be an elevator, so you, Devola, Popola, 9S, and A2 should take that. We will take on the other unit."

"How do you know it's even there?" asked A2.

"I can sense it. I am still a machine after all." he looked back at Lars, "So can you do it?"

"Send one for me too." said Eve.

"And me." also said 9S.

"You sure?" asked Lars.

"Don't worry about it, you have us." A2 said, she waved her hand at Devola and Popola as well. 

"Alright then." he put the mask on, "Will-O'the-Wisp, this is Lars."

"We read you, sir. Go on ahead." responded 91O.

"Can you send in Adam and Eve's flight units? And one more normal one? And while your at it, send over a Type-4O left arm."

"Yes sir, we have locked onto your coordinates and are sending them now." she cut off and they waited a moment or two. The roar of engines could be heard as a hole was blown through the wall and three of the flight units flew through. Adam, Eve, and 9S all jumped into their respective units. 9S tossed over a new arm. A2 caught it for Lars and he detached what was left of his damaged arm and attached his new one. Lars moved his fingers and bended his arm to test it.

"Get back." said Adam. He fired a particle beam into the wall on the bridge and blew it into chunks. "We'll see you on the top, good luck." he said before flying off with Eve and 9S.   

"Let's go." said Lars. He put on his mask completely, "Disable safety." said he. Ten tendrils came out and connected themselves to the modules on his nape. They all stepped onto the platform.

Cluttering sounds began and the platform began to rise. It rose for about half a minute, then started going up diagonal.

*Bipolar Nightmare (Instrumental one uploaded by Belzifer) *

Suddenly, something came up from underneath the elevator. It was the same enemy from before. It landed on the side of the platform, causing a lot of smoke to come out. Once it cleared, the glowing red eye showed itself again, signalling it's attack. The machine swung it's arms up and then back down, sending shock waves. Devola, Popola, and A2 evaded whilst Lars raised his force-field. He finally drew Caim's sword and began his attack. The others grabbed their weapons as well and also started. As the four of them attacked, it did nothing. Lars heard an alert coming from his mask and looked to his right, and saw that the machine had tails and was shooting at them. 

Lars quickly put up his force-field and blocked the shots from hitting him or his friends. "How many tails does this thing have?" asked Lars.

"Analysis: This enemy has at least nine tails."

"You gotta be kidding me!" shouted A2. 

"Watch out!" shouted Devola suddenly.  

One of the tails came down on A2, but she managed to hold it off. "Damn it."

"We... Are...Net...Work..." it said. It put both arms together and swung down. It sent a shock wave forward. Popola ran forward and cut a small chunk right off the arm. It looked at her and fired a few shots at her, Popola countered with shooting a few shots of her own. She shot a ball made of dark energy right into one of the tails and it ate a huge chunk of the tail. 

"That's one!" she said.

"We... Created... Life..." It bought both hands together and shot two beams, then it quickly spread the arms, shooting the beams in opposite directions. "But... They Betrayed... Us..."

"What the hell is this thing yammering about?" asked Lars. He blocked a shot from one of the tails, he saw one of them with a drill head try and swing down on him, but he sliced the drill head right off and then sent a dark silhouette into the tail, destroying it. The other tails began attacking wildly, Lars began blocking every one of them as fast as he could. Suddenly, Jinzo soldiers came down and began attacking as well. "Damn it..." Lars blocked an axe and sliced the soldier with his arm blade. He saw another with a rifle aimed at him.

As the soldier fired, A2's Type-4O blade came up and blocked the the bullet. The woman panicked and cocked the bolt back to shoot again, but A2 had already knocked her off the platform by the the time she took aim again. Devola and Popola kept fighting the soldiers.  "You take care of the giant machine! We'll take these guys!" shouted Devola.

"Copy that!" responded A2. "Let's go." she said to Lars.

"Yeah. Switch to Defender!" They both ran up and began slashing at the machine, Lars was more on the defensive, blocking hits directed at him or A2, striking only ever so often. A2, on the other hand, was slashing away at the machine, cutting small pieces off and denting it with every blow. "Now back to Cyborg!" Lars went back to normal and swung his sword down onto one of the arms. It came right off and the machine let out a small explosion, the tails retracted and the machine retreated. "Damn it. It got away."

"I have a feeling it's gonna be back, but for now, we have more company." Slowly, but surely machines touched down onto the platform and began their assault. They began fighting the machines, all while something was happening with the other three.

*Transition*

The three flight units were flying at top speed. It seemed the platform the others were on were going just as fast. Suddenly, machines on flyers came up and blocked their way. "Take 'em out!" shouted 9S.

Adam and Eve's flight units began shooting back at the machines with their particle guns, making short work of them. "There sure are a lot of these guys. If only I could use my nukes." said Eve. His unit transformed and grabbed a machine and flung it into another one. Adam noticed that an alert was goin off, he looked behind and saw something.

"Something's coming. Evade." They all flew upward a bit and narrowly dodged something sliding on the Tower's wall. It seemed to be the same machine from the library. "There it is... There's the other one I was talking about." stated Adam.

"Well then let's take it down!" shouted 9S. He began shooting and fired several missiles at the new machine. It turned around to reveal three barrels, which began shooting out those energy balls that the machines use for ranged attacks.

"I believed you. I believed you. I beLIEved you..." it said repeatedly.

"What the? Why is it saying that?"

"It must be talking to us. We told it that we were going to fight for machines. And now here we are." chuckled Adam. He raised his field to absorb the attacks and sent it back. But it did nothing, "This thing is tough." he growled. "Eve, I don't suppose you could punch it for us?"

"I can do that." responded Eve. He accelerated and punched as hard as he could, making it spin around to the other side. It shot out the tail and swung it around, Eve managed to evade and so did the others. "Not going to be easy? Okay." said Eve again. He resumed the flight unit's fighter mode and fell back to the other two's position. They began evading the tail and the shots that were fired at them. The machine fired more shots, several of them hit 9S, his wing started to smoke. But he kept shooting, "Hey, your wing is-"

"I'll be fine! Just keep shooting!" said 9S, cutting Eve off. "We're pretty close to the top, so just a bit more."

"Understood." said Adam. He evaded a shot and saw more machine coming in. "Here come some more grunts." He activated his mobile configuration and accelerated. Adam used his energy arms to try and throw the machine off, he managed to do so, but the enemy flyers used tow cables to grab the main unit and got it back onto the Tower. Adam was knocked back by the tail and resumed his fighter mode. More of the flyers were deployed and started closing in, this time, armed with bombs.

"Suicide bombers!" exclaimed 9S, "Shoot them down first!" 9S fired wildly and fired missiles in all directions. Adam and Eve caught the missiles with their absorb shields and sent them into the enemy machines. Yet, still the main enemy deployed more machine flyers. "Does it have an endless amount?" asked 9S.

"No, it'll run out eventually, so keep going!" responded Adam. He fired the particle guns and fired his energy shots, "Although it's more trouble than it's worth..." the three of them continued to shoot, but the machine flyers kept coming and coming, they started to not be able to get near hitting the main machine. A machine with a suicide bomb through the shots and exploded in between Eve and 9S, knocking the both of them a bit off course, but they were able to correct their courses before it was too late. Their flight units were now quite damaged, "Damn it... At this rate, we won't be able to-"

"Need any help?" asked a voice from behind. 9S instantly recognizing it. Suddenly, several missiles flew over their units and destroyed the rest of the machine flyers, another flight unit came up and shot at the main machine, evading any projectiles that came it's way.

"2B!" 9S cried happily, "You're just in time! Which means Pallad is...?"

"He's dead, I got our revenge, Nines."

"Hey! You called me-"

"Incoming!" interrupted Adam. 

*Cut off* 

*Bipolar Nightmare (Vocals also by Belzifer Skip to 0:02)*

The machine fired more of the machine shots. The four of them evaded the bombardment, and began shooting back. "Why... Fight... Back...? This is all... Pointless..." stated the machine, "You cannot... Destroy... Us...." Adam and Eve flew forward and activated their shields, and rammed the enemy. It stumbled back and kept sliding ahead of them. The twins rejoined 2B and 9S to keep shooting. "You destroyed so many of us... So we'll destroy you..."

"Not happening!" shouted Eve. He accelerated with incredible speed and ejected from his flight unit, it crashed right into the machine. Eve landed on Adam's flight unit and latched his feet on. He then began using his am to shoot his energy. Eve had dealt significant damage to the enemy and the eye flickered for a moment, there were also several visible parts of shrapnel in the machine's main body. "Gonna fly!" said Eve. The tattoos grew all over his body, and he hovered by himself. They kept shooting at the machine, Adam, 2B, and 9S used their mobile configurations. The three of them went up to the machine and began slashing and hitting away at it, damaging it more and more. Until it jumped up and tried to land on them. The three evaded, and it kept trying to squash them.

*Transition*

Another machine was destroyed, and at the same time, another tail was also destroyed. "That makes seven!" shouted A2. Suddenly, a red and blue pulse of light came up and entered Lars. 

"This means Pallad is dead, alright. We're almost to the top, keep fighting!" said Lars. He blocked the machine's arm and cut another piece off. The tail tried to strike him from behind, but Popola blocked the attack and hit it back. She used a dark-lance and threw it straight into the tail's core. "Eight!" Devola and A2 ran up to the final tail and cut it together, destroying the last one.

"That's the last one." said Devola, "Now for this thing."

"Attack!" commanded Lars. They all slashed it now, A2 threw her Type-4O blade into one of the arms, making it lose the grip, but at the same time, shattering the large blade. She grabbed her sword-mace and jammed it into an arm joint, taking it out. Lars drew his other sword and pulled the trigger, as the blade glowed blue, he stabbed it into another one of the arms and pulled out before the enemy could use another arm to kill him. He jumped back, Devola and Popola both ran up and punched it with their dark arms and shot dark-lances. Lars swiftly swung his blade up and sent a fire projectile skimming the ground they stood on into the machine. Until finally, the platform had reached the top.

The machine slid back and got off of the elevator. Devola and Popola tried to run up and slash it, but the moment they jumped, it bought up it's arms and blocked the attack. A2 and Lars attempted to strike from the sides but it just blocked as well.

*Fade*

The machine then just stayed still and used it's E.M.P shielding, making it impossible to hit. And at that moment, an explosion happened in the distance, one ball-like machine came up and three more flight units followed it, shooting at it. Eve landed next to the other four, and the other three ejected as the machine hit the ground. "Good to be together again." said Eve.

"Yeah, but not like we can celebrate." said 2B, "Look." she pointed at the machines which were now merging together.

*Sound of the End (Dynamic and Vocals)*

The machine that Devola, Popola, A2, and Lars were fighting was on the group's right side it had one giant hand and the two chopper hands. The machine Adam, Eve, 2B, and 9S were fighting had just the giant hand. It began it's attack, the eight of them evaded the first attack, which was a ram. They all jumped on it's sides and began their attack on the combined machines. "Try and take out those giant hands first!" shouted Lars.

"Roger that!" responded the others. 2B ran up to slash at the large arm, but the machine's chopping arms blocked her attack, forcing her to get back before it attacked again. One of the machines extended the barrels and began firing machine shots everywhere, Lars, Adam, and Eve raised their fields to protect the others. The shots turned into a giant laser Adam and Eve absorbed it and sent it back at the enemy, as Lars deactivated his force-field, he fired the smash-cannon. But the beam only bounced off and went into the sky. 

"Alert: Enemy has E.M.P shielding." said the mask, "Recommend that Unit: 9S hacks before 0C uses smash cannon. Physical attacks are most effective." 

"Nines, Can you hack it?" asked Lars.  

"Yeah, but I'll need time, this thing is complicated!" he responded.

"Then  _we'll_ buy you some! After this, I'll have used four charges..." said A2. She used one of her charges and jumped on top of the machine. A2 drew her sword-mace and slashed away at the machine. The machine wildly tried to shake her off but Devola and Popola did their best to keep it still with dark-arms. But it was too strong and it flung all of them into the air. A2 landed on her feet while Adam caught Popola and Eve caught Devola. 9S was still trying to hack in, but he had no success. 2B ran forward and parried the arm that was going to hit him. 

Lars and A2 both ran up to stab the machine, but it hit the both of them away with it's legs before they got too close. It hunched over and launched several balls out of the two holes on the backs. They all had flashing red lights and began chasing the androids and two machines, this only meant that they were bombs. If they weren't rolling around, then they were flying to chase them. Lars shot a few down with his gun, but one caught him by surprise and exploded right in front of him. Minimal damage was sustained, but he knew he had felt something break. 

He was mortified to pull out the drive he was given. It was clown to pieces, "Oh no... No, no, no..." he said.

At this moment, 9S was successful at taking down the shielding. "Alright! The shield is down!"

A2 jumped high and with a scream, she sent down a shock wave from the slash of the sword. The combined machine was sliced clean in half, it tried to use it's arms still, but Devola and Popola each individually threw two dark lances and severed the arms. "Pod!" shouted both 9S and 2B. The pods opened up, Lars jumped up and readied his smash cannon. "Go!" shouted 2B, Pod-042 fired a beam, Pod-153 also fired a beam, and Lars fired his smash-cannon, destroying what was left of the enemy.

*Fade*

"Well... That's that..." panted Adam. "Now to get down to business." he sent a pulse of light into the ground and a small port opened up. "Plug in that drive, and then this place will be history."

"About that..." Lars pulled out the remnants of the drive, everyone except Adam and Eve let out a shocked grunt. "It got destroyed in the fight... This is all my fault, I'm so sorry. I should've been careful." said Lars, he removed his mask to reveal he was near tears.

"No matter, then  _we'll_ do it." said Adam.

"Wait, what?" asked Lars. "Didn't you forget? They said that this'll destroy your bodies! And you guys can't come back! There's no network to connect to, we can find another way!"

"There  _is_ no other way. That drive was the only one in existence, and it'll take too long for the androids to make another one. After all, you have somewhere to be. The longer we dwell on this, the longer that they have to wait to begin the assault."

"You guys  _can't_ do it. I can't lose you guys. I already lost Caim and Lawsh, Emil, too. And now you guys?" said Lars, his voice breaking.

"Adam, please..." said Popola suddenly, "Don't do this... If you die... then-"

Adam placed his hand on her cheek. "Please don't be too mad at me if I can't make it for our first date. Sadly, it's a promise I can't keep."

"You guys swore to fight by our side..."

"And we did." responded Eve, "As brother said, we tried to use you to find happiness, but we already found it. I just need to be with him to be happy, and if he was happy, then so was I. And he was, helping you guys. Now we have to go."

"Please..." sobbed Lars.

"Never forget us..." Eve walked with Adam, who had given Popola a kiss on the cheek. They walked over to that port that opened. Adam looked back as Eve drew up a ball of light. "Hello network. I've dragged you out."

Adam looked behind him one last time. "I'm very glad that we've decided to help you as we did." said he, "Now go! Your army awaits, once the network is gone, this Tower will collapse, and soldiers are coming."

"Lars, we have to go." said 2B. She grabbed Lars by the shoulder and Lars followed, still looking back. 

"Popola, c'mon." said Devola. She grabbed Popola by the hand and led onto the top of 2B's flight unit. Lars and A2 were on top of 9S' as they began taking off. They still watched. 

*Transition*

"Well, this is it, bother..." said Eve, both his hands were placed on the orb that contained the machine network, "Thanks to my abilities, this is the entire network. It can't escape this time."

"Very good work, Eve. Then let us get under way..."

Eve silently nodded, "Brother, can we play in that place called heaven?"

"I don't think that's where we are going Eve. Don't you remember what we've done?"

"Oh yeah. That..."

"We can still play, just in another place." Adam smirked a bit.

"You really mean it?"

"Yes, I do." Adam then activated his power, his hands glowed white. Eve did so as well, the black marks covered the left half of his body. 

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" they both went. Suddenly, a bright flash of light appeared where they were standing, and in an instant is was gone. Now, nothing was there. Adam and Eve had done it, the machine network was done. And the Tower began it's collapse.

As the Tower began falling to pieces, everyone just watched. Lars knew that he didn't have time to mourn, he had to heal, and it was time to end all of this. "6O, this is Lars."

"We read you, Commander. Go ahead."

"We're returning now, begin the attack on Avalon."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Years!


	43. Finale Pt.1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final battle is to commence. This will determine everything, either the Allied Forces win and head to the new world, or the Jinzo do and drag on the war even more. Lars must prepare for his fight with Sral, who has undoubtedly become stronger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for something unexpected.  
> BTW: 6O was promoted to captain.  
> Man, it's been a year since I've started this story, look at how far I've come! I hope you continue reading until the final chapter!

The soldiers were all waiting for this exact moment. They had all moved out this morning, and were waiting for the signal. "Anemone, do you think the Commander's done with the Tower yet?" asked a soldier. 

"Trust me, they'll get it done if they hadn't already. They're incredibly reliable." she responded. "If A2, 2B, 9S, Devola, Popola, Adam, and Eve are with him, then he'll be fine."

"Should we even be trusting those two machines?" asked the soldier.

"I don't know. But he seems to trust them and they haven't turned on us. Hopefully it stays that way."

Suddenly, a Jinzo soldier ran up, "Captain!" he shouted.

"What is it?"

"Captain Storm said that he spots troops on the move. They're blockading the main gate and the giants are being set loose. They are also sending out dragons on standby."

"Then that means they'll try to go on the offensive." said Kantress walking up, "We should start moving as well, but we need to draw out their army and chip away at them slowly."

"Good idea. All troops! We're advancing to the next ambush line." The troops of YoRHa, Resistance, and Jinzo Defectors began moving forward. 

*Transition*

Soldiers were huddled in lines. They were desperately trying to get as many soldiers into the front as they could "THE ONE WITH THE RIFLE SHOOTS!" an officer shouted. Two other soldiers were either giving out rifles or lances. "THE ONE WITH THE LANCE FOLLOWS HIM! IF THE ONE WITH THE RIFLE GETS KILLED, THE ONE WITH THE LANCE PICKS UP THE RIFLE AND SHOOTS!" Soldiers were being moved into their first line of defense. It was right outside of the range of the barrier, but all of the defense soldiers had their own barrier to protect them, more and more troops joined them, machines included. 

Soldier upon soldier was put into the defense force. The civilians were all told to stay inside today. On the walls, the lookouts saw that the allied forces were on the move, their naval forces were also visible now, they had quite a few ships. "Alert the King." said an officer, "Tell him that the ground forces are planning to assault the main gate and enter through there. Their naval forces seem to be in position to shell the city. Raise the field and keep looking for their ships!"

"Yes, sir!" responded the other soldier. He ran off, the soldiers on the walls prepared the cannons they had. 

Back in the castle, Sral sat alone, still pondering why did two of his closest friends leave him. He thought that there was no way that he was evil, then he came to one single conclusion, "Lars has poisoned them..." he growled, "It seems I have to kill them to save them." He stood up, "Doctor!"

An old man wearing a lab coat came in, he had soldiers with him. "My liege, the androids' plan seems to be to attack the main gate while their naval forces shell the city."

"And the aerial forces?"

"Nowhere to be seen."

Sral rubbed his chin a bit, "Tell our troops at the main gate to go on the offensive on my command. And get Kuro into his ultimate creation, if Lars is going to fight, then I know that he'll come. So Kuro will intercept, he'll probably have his friends, but I'm sure Kuro can kill them, I want Lars for myself."

"Yes, sir!" shouted the officers. 

"As for you."

"Yes, my lord?" asked the doctor.

"Begin Project: Ultimate. It's time for me to gain the power I need to kill him once and for all." 

"Then follow me, my king." Sral walked with the doctor down the corridors, going into undoubtedly more augmentation. 

*Transition*

Anemone was with the other captains of the other ground squadrons.

"Looks like the enemies on the move, they've got soldiers piled up on the main gate. Seems they know a bit of our plan." said Mikhail as he took a bite out of some rations.

"Only because we made it obvious. We just got calls that the Will-O'the-Wisp, Isaribi, Hotarubi, Kronos, Atlas, and Ferrum-Anima. They've all met up mesosphere, now we're just waiting for Lars to destroy the Tower and give us the order. Everything is ready."

The Allied Forces waited a while longer, but something peculiar happened, one soldier pointed at the Jinzo soldiers at the main gate, "They look like they're getting ready to attack!" said a captain. Anemone took the binoculars and looked for herself, the other captain was right, the enemy soldiers looked as if they were prepping for a charge on the Allies' fronts. Just before Anemone could think of what to do next, a call came in from the Will-O'the-Wisp.

"The Tower has fallen, it's time to begin the attack." said 18O, "We'll begin our descent after the field is down, good luck. Over and out." The Allies were going to attack but the Jinzo forces started their charge first.

*Enemy at the Gates-The River Crossing to Stalingrad (Skip to 11:10)*

The battle cries of thousands of clone soldiers and machines could be heard across the entire battlefield. The soldiers all ran forward together, many of them holding rifles, and many more of them holding a lance or a sword. As they ran, some of them pulled the bolts on their rifles back and started to shoot. Storm took a look at the soldiers, "Hang on." he stated. As he looked through his binoculars, he analyzed. "Alright, the rifle men are gonna shoot, and their guys holding lances are trying to get close, don't let 'em! Fire!" he shouted on the assault-vehicle he sat on. The twin-cannon took aim, along with the other assault-vehicles. 

The cannons fired and so did the YoRHa gunners, Resistance soldiers, and the Jinzo defectors. The assault vehicles that could fire missiles started their bombardment. The missiles exploded upon impact, soldiers and machines were all sent flying or exploded along with the missiles. More and more Jinzo rifleman began returning fire, but it was useless, the bullets were shot whilst they were running, meaning they could hardly aim. The machines had a better chance to shoot, but they were quickly gunned down by the androids. Jinzo defector riflemen had the advantage in aim and more firearms. Two lancers on the Allies' side came down and dropped a couple bombs and rained down bullets. A resistance machine gunner tore apart advancing troops, an automatic cannon assault-vehicle did the same.

Now, the sound of battle-cries were starting to get drowned out by the sound of dying screams and pleads for mercy. As more and more of the Jinzo soldiers were shot down, they eventually stopped their advance. The remaining soldiers all began to fall back, but not the machines, they kept going forward and were destroyed. But the Jinzo themselves were running back to their field. When they fully retreated, Mikhail holstered his pistol and stood up, "We're advancing!" he shouted. He extended his bladed tonfas and began to run through the field, along with the other androids and Kantress. As they drew closer and closer, they noticed that the soldiers that retreated were nowhere in sight. Then, they looked on the ground, the soldiers who had retreated were all dead. 

"Look!" said a resistance android.

They all saw officers retreating, hogging an emptied machine-gun behind them. "No way... They shot their own down?" asked an android. 

*Fade* 

"No time to dwell on this. It's time to shell the city. All ships, open fire." said one of the captains.

*Transition* 

The ships got the orders and began loading shells. La Belle Femme and Yamato II began throwing everything they had at the field that surrounded Avalon. Inside the fields the operators in charge of helping back up the machines were completely stumped. "What's going on? Why aren't the machines reactivating?" asked a superior.

"We don't know, sir! We can't back up the data, it's like they aren't connected to the network at all!" she suddenly came to a realization, "By, God! The machine network isn't here anymore! It got terminated! I just got word that the Tower has been destroyed, the network along with it!"

"Oh no... Once a machine is dead, it stays dead..." Suddenly, the door burst open. Three YoRHa androids and six resistance came into the room and killed the operators.

"All teams, this Team Sigma, we've reached the control room number one." said the scanner in charge.

"This is Team Delta, we've just taken over number two." said the defector.

"Team Zeta here!" gunfire could be heard within the channel, "We're pinned by the operators, request assistance from defenders!" 

"Alright, 10D and 918D, you two go assist Team Zeta, alert me when you've taken out those operators."

"Yes, sir!" two of the androids quickly left the room. Several minutes later, they got a call, "Room secure. Let's take down that field."

"Alright, here we go! Hacking in!" said the scanner. He and the other scanners present began to hack the cores of the field projectors. Suddenly, all of them shut off. "We're successful, let's return to the surface to assist with the main assault. Tell the ships to begin their descent." He readied a large sword as the others reloaded.

"Yes, sir!" everyone shouted.

*Transition*

"Captain, we're getting calls from the infiltration teams that they've taken the shield down." said 91O to 6O.

"Alright, begin the descent. Tell The other ships to start descending too. Get our flight units out there, get the reserve assault-vehicles and ground troops into the containers and have them towed by the flight units. The head Commander wants every troop we can get out there!"

"Yes, ma'am." said 91O. She began ordering the troops on board to get to their stations. As the ships descended into the troposphere, the flight units carrying the containers were the first to take off. Then came the other flight units, "We're getting word the Hotarubi and Isaribi are deploying their ground troops and their fighter jets. Kronos, Atlas, and Ferrum-Anima are deploying their Lancers. Enemy Jinzo are deploying their troops and Lancers as well, they're attacking our naval ships  and us, too."

"I want sixty percent of our aerial unit to defend our ships, the rest of them go provide support to the ground troops. Remind troops that Lancers with a golden stripe on them are on our side! We don't want any friendly fire."

"I'm on it."

"Two flight units requesting to land, it's the Field Commander!" said 21O.

"Alright, let them on board."

*Outside*

The doors of the hangar opened up. And the two flight units landed inside, Lars got off and looked around. "Well, looks like we're splitting up." said he. 

"Yeah, I'll be going with Storm and 2B is going to be a captain on the Zero." said 9S. "How long will it take for you to heal?"

"Not long at all. Not when you have us." said a very familiar voice. They all looked behind them and saw-

"Adam?" asked Lars and Popola at the same time. "And Eve?" asked only Lars.

"Hello, surely you didn't think it would take only that to kill us did you?" asked Adam.

"H-how? I though the both of you died when-"

"We were trolling you. Making it all emotional." said Eve, "I guess it worked."

"We connected to Caim's network. Your Commander gave us a choice yesterday."

*Flashback*

White had just taken Adam and Eve away from the others. The three of them walked a while before they got to her room. "Come inside." she said. Adam and Eve did as they were told and entered. Once they were in, she closed the doors and locked it. She turned on the sound proof function and asked them one thing. "Do you want to cheat death?"

"What do you mean?" asked Eve.

"I mean, do the both of you want to connect to the network that Caim made. I'm letting you decide."

"If we say yes?" asked Adam.

"Then I'll arrange new bodies for you two. The same bodies you have right now, we won't be making them."

"Well, how about you don't tell Lars or his friends. I want to pull a little prank on them."

"So are you saying yes?" asked she.

"Of course I am. I want to sincerely thank you from the bottom of my little machine heart."

"Thanks." added Eve, "This means a lot. That you're giving us a chance."

"It's fine, I just find you two incredibly useful. That's all I wanted to hear. You may go back now." White disengaged the sound proof function and opened the room's doors. Adam and Eve walked out to rejoin Lars.

*Back to the Present*

"And that's how it happened." said Adam, "As you can see, Eve got some new ink, while I have a new shirt." Adam's dress shirt was now a black one, with the same lion on the back just like Lars' long-coat. Eve turned around to show a new tattoo, it was on the back of his right-shoulder, also the lion on Lars' coat. 

"You fu-" Lars cut himself off. He didn't know if he wanted to punch Adam and Eve or tell them how glad he was that they were alive, "You're both okay... Survive until then, I'm gonna kick your ass, Adam." was all he said. "Count on it."

"I'll be waiting." responded Adam. "Well, then, we better get to our stations. We're with the ground forces. Get recovered, and we might see you on the field."

"Alright then, let's all meet up when this is over. So I'm telling all of you. Don't die, got it?"

"You got it." said 9S. 2B nodded. She headed to the Zero whilst 9S went to a container.

"We won't, you'll see us again." said Popola.

"We're gonna survive this, and stay with you for your journey." added Devola before she and her sister ran off to one of the containers.

"Well then, with that said. See you." said Eve. He and Adam also went to the container. The Zero activated and grabbed the container with a few other flight units, they flew right out the hangar.

"How're your wounds?" asked A2.

"Not bad, it'll take about half an hour to heal completely. Think you can assist with the air forces for a while 'til I get better?" asked Lars.

"Nope. See you outside."

"Good, I'll be in the Commander Type. We'll break into the castle together." A2 nodded before heading into a unit and flying off. Lars headed to the med-bay, hoping that he would recover quickly. 

*Drakengard 1 Chapter 5 in the Sky Part one*

*Outside*

2B just finished dropping the container down and watched the soldiers come out and began fighting. 9S waved goodbye before he went to join Storm, cutting down one soldier in his way. She flew up to see that the sky was plagued with enemy Lancers and dragons. 2B joined up with her assigned team, "Captain! There sure are a lot of them!"

"Don't panic." 2B responded, "Assume attack formation number nine."

"Yes, ma'am!" her squad responded. They all went into fighter mode, but before they could head off, A2 linked up with the squad.

"Lars is gonna recover first, I'll be here for the time being." she said.

"Fine by me, alright, let's go!" shouted 2B. They all flew forward, an enemy team of lancers blocked their way, "We'll start with those." she said. The two squads began to shoot at each other. 2B's new flight unit was performing well, the rail cannon had already shot down about three enemy lancers. As the others fought, she saw four lancers trying to gang up on a flight unit. 2B acted quick and deployed the gun barrels, they flew around, opened their ports and fired. The enemy Lancers were shot down, and more came from the smoke. 

2B assumed mobile configuration. A2 switched her machine guns to a laser beam and helped 2B wipe them out. The gun barrels were doing what 2B had told them mentally. They reconnected and she saw some friendly Lancers come in, "Our captain was just shot down. Mind if we join you?" a man asked.

"Not at all, we're taking down some giants next." The Lancers that just came in all agreed and all of them went back into fighter mode. They saw one giant being distracted by ground forces and began shooting at it. "Fire your missiles." 2B said as she detached the gun barrels and fired them simultaneously with her rail-cannon. Nearly all missiles hit the giant and it almost went down, but the gun barrels did the rest, it fell down onto a building and disintegrated. "That's one, let's move onto the next one." 

"Looks like that one's giving some troops trouble." said A2. They turned right to see a giant nearly stomping on some soldiers, some dragons around it and helping it out. They all flew forward, the Zero's gun barrels split off and made short work of the dragons, they fired in all directions and clipped the wings right off the draconians. They caught the giant's attention, all of them activated their mobile configuration and flew around it in circles. As they fired, two resistance fighters came in and fired some missiles. "No, wait! Stay back-!" 

It was too late, the giant's arm swung through the smoke and absolutely crushed the pilots, "Damn it..." cursed 2B. She fired the rail cannon and got the giant's attention.

"Analysis: The Flight Unit Zero has a rocket powered tow cable installed. Proposal: Unit 2B should drag giant off it's feet." said Pod-042.

"Noted." she said. 2B went back into the fighter mode and split off the gun barrels again. As they fired from the top, she got around it and shot the cable right into the giant's back. She used the maximum thrust available and practically flung the giant right off it's feet. The other units finished it off with missile fire. As the giant disintegrated, enemy Lancer's came through, shooting down one friendly Lancer. "Split up, take them one on one." said she.

"Yes, ma'am!" the rest responded. They all went in different directions and started hunting them down. 2B fired the rail cannon at the one she was chasing, but it evaded. She fired again, and it evaded again, she kept firing but it kept evading, not even the gun barrels could shoot them down. 

"An ace?" she asked, "Fine." 2B commanded the gun barrels to connect back. Their boosters helped her gain more speed. As 2B caught up the pilot activated their own mobile configuration and began shooting a laser. 2B fired the tow cable into the Lancer's leg, they didn't see that coming and got blown up by the rail- cannon, "Report in." she said.

"We're all done with our enemies."

"Then let's move on."

*Fade*

*Drakengard 1 Chapter 5 on the Ground Part one*

"Let's go!" shouted 9S. He was sitting inside of a hybrid type. "Orga, we're going too." he said to the man driving and controlling the missiles.

"You got it!" he responded. The assault vehicle moved forward with the troops. They shot down numerous Jinzo soldiers and machines. "Hang on!" the driver named Orga said. Outside, fireballs were raining down, killing a few soldiers. The driver quickly drove away, and managed to take a few Resistance soldiers with them. "There's a call coming in, I'm gonna put it though your headset."

"Thanks." said 9S.

"This is the Bunker, we're doing an orbital strike on their naval base, judging from your location, you're near there. Tell those under your command to move away. Give us the word when everyone is out." said White.

"Yes, ma'am."

"So? What'd she say?" asked Orga.

"We're going, like now. The Bunker's hitting this place hard. All forces, move away from the naval base. I repeat move  _away_ from the naval base, the Bunker is using an orbital strike." The assault vehicles that could carry people quickly drove away, the soldiers with guns providing cover. Orga was driving backwards, giving 9S a chance to shoot ahead and provide cover. "Bunker, you are clear to strike." said 9S. He put the targeting computer away, "Turn one-eighty and go full speed." 

"Got it." they turned 9S opened the hatch and popped his head outside. He saw the orbital strike absolutely wipe out the base, crippling the Jinzo's naval forces. "Dragons are coming up on our asses, I'll get 'em." Orga fired some missiles, and the dragons were hit and fell from the sky. 9S did his own part to shoot them down, and he did so successfully. Finally, they met with Storm. 

"Orga, your fuel is low, go back to re-fuel. Think you can handle yerself for a bit?" he asked 9S. "I need you out here."

"Yeah, I'll be waiting." responded 9S he got out and drew his sword.

"And I'll be back in no time." responded Orga, as he drove away. Storm got his men to follow him. As the assault vehicle he rode on drove away, the soldiers following, the remaining soldiers looked at 9S.

"Alright. Let's go!" he shouted. They all cheered and ran toward a small platoon of Jinzo infantry. 9S led his soldiers into the charge, he parried a blade and threw his sword into the enemy's head and pulled it out. He saw some YoRHa soldiers getting surrounded, "Pod!"

"Affirmative." spears came out of the ground and impaled the Jinzo soldiers, allowing the YoRHa battlers to finish them off. They kept advancing, shooting or slashing anyone who was in the way. 9S saw machine gunners upfront and told everyone to get down. He looked up to see a water tower, using his power, he manipulated the water to burst right out of the tower and get the soldiers into one big ball to drown them. To make a long story short, it worked. As they drowned, 9S' forces advanced further.

"We're nearing the checkpoint, I'm getting reports the Jinzo are pushed back to their third line of defense. Afterwards is the fourth, and the fifth is their final stand. They aren't giving up!" shouted a YoRHa soldier. 

9S nodded and looked around in the streets. This place was once a grand place for a festival, many people laughed, talked, and told jokes. Now, destroyed buildings were everywhere. The order for civilians to stay inside had no effect, and it wasn't like they could evacuate, Avalon was truly the Jinzo's last stand. Bodies lay everywhere, whether they be soldiers or citizens. "Gotta keep going..." said 9S, shaking it off. He had to admit, he wasn't really comfortable with this. After all, they weren't there to kill civilians.

*Fade*

*Transition*

Lars' wounds were all healed. He equipped all his weaponry. "Please, be careful out there." said 19H, "Remember, we can't go to the new world without you." she added,

"Yeah, thanks for that. But rest assured, I'll be back. Count on it." Lars quickly ran out and went into the hangar. "Is the Commander type ready?"

"Ready to go! Good luck out there, sir!" said a scanner. Lars hopped in and began his take-off sequence. He was lifted into the launch catapult. 

"This is Commander 0C, I'm in the Commander Type. Heading out." He was launched out of the Will-O'the-Wisp. "A2, link up with me. It's time to end this."

"I'm on my way. 2B, I'm breaking off." she responded.

"Got it. Good luck, you two." added 2B. 

Another flight unit came up right next to Lars. "Alright, you ready to end this war?" asked Lars.

"You bet." she responded.

"Then let's do this!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was implying that Adam and Eve were going to survive. Go back to chapter 40 when White took Adam and Eve with her to do something. And in the last chapter, Adam and Eve did something that wasn't going to get them into Heaven. They connected and came back X3.  
> Music in the first part is from Enemy at the Gates. I drew some inspiration from the movie as well.  
> Pls no sue me, I own nothing.


	44. Finale Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time is ripe to go into the castle of Avalon, as the battle rages on, A2 and Lars fight their way through the home of Sral, and encounter something that truly could change everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been taking a break because of practicing dragon dancing for Chinese New Year.

Lars and A2 flew right through the hoard of dragons and enemy Lancers. With some help of the other squadrons, they made short work of any enemies that actually got in the way. When the path was clear, Lars tried to fire the twin smash-cannons into the top of the castle, but Sral had prepared for that. The field of the top just caused the beams to bounce off. As the other teams of flight units opened fire, the field remained impervious to the attacks. But one of the shots that bounced off the top hit the bottom, and created a small hole, "We gotta go through the bottom up then." said Lars.

"Roger that. But that material looks pretty tough." responded A2.

"Ground forces, I'm sending you some coordinates to where to fire, focus on creating a hole, any available aerial squads should open fire on the same area, too." Lars sent out the coordinates to the ground and aerial units. The troops on the ground began shooting at that one spot on the castle. Flight units launched missiles, friendly Lancers also began shooting. As the hole got bigger and bigger, Lars fired the smash-cannons, finally making a hole big enough for his flight unit to go through. "I leave the rest to you guys. Today is the day this war ends."

A2 flew in first and then Lars went in. Jinzo guards opened fire on them, but that proved useless as Lars fired one missile with MIRVs, killing them all. The Lars fired upwards to try and destroy the floors, but that proved useless. "Do we  _actually_ have to go up?" asked A2.

"It seems so, c'mon." said Lars. 

*Drakengard 1 Inside the Castle (Extended)*

They both left their flight units an drew their weapons. They began running through the castle, cutting down any soldiers/machines in their way. A2 deflected an axe from a soldier and cleaved her with the sword-mace whilst Lars used his modded sword to slice clean through enemy weapons and bodies. They both ran through the soldiers, killing only if they had to. "There sure are a lot of these guys!" shouted A2.

"Cut 'em all down if you have to! Show no mercy, attack!" responded Lars. A2 drew her long sword and deflected an attack from a heavy. She stabbed another with the sword-mace and used her free hand to throw the large soldier into the others. She pulled her sword-mace out of the body of the person she threw it into and cleaved several other soldiers with a wide sweep. Lars blocked a sword and drew his arm-blade. He cut through a tall machine's leg  and kicked it into other soldiers, then he shot seven flames into the crowd and they all exploded. He drew the sword that Emil gave him and cut right through a soldier's body. 

But behind the bisected soldier, came an enemy with a rifle. But A2 came up and took the bullet, thankfully it hit the chest-plate that was on the left side of her chest. She equipped her lance in about half a second and threw it into the soldier who fired The spear went right through the soldier like butter and even impaled another behind her. Lars charged through a crowd, using a dark-arm as a shield he flung the arm to his left, smashing the soldiers into a wall, crushing them. The next batch of soldiers were all armed with daggers, and they moved incredibly quick. So to counter, Lars activated his time manipulation and sped through them, killing them easily.

As they kept killing, less and soldiers came out, eventually, none came out. "Area clear. Let's move on." said A2. Lars nodded in response and they kept moving. The duo moved through the castle corridors, killing anything that got in their way. "How close are we to the top?"

"Analysis: We are on the sixty-eighth floor of the castle, there are a total of ninety floors. Scanning: Approximately three hundred soldiers are blocking the way, the individual known as Kuro is also on the eighty-sixth floor." said the mask.

"Then it's decided, I'll take him on." said A2. 

"Wait, what? We haven't decided anything. I mean, what if he's gotten stronger?" asked Lars.

"So? I've also gotten stronger, I'll just use my charges, all of them if I have to. Lars, we don't have time to take them on together, we're trying to keep casualties on our side a minimum. And don't worry about me, I'm more worried about the side-affects of what happened the last time you used a super-nova locket. For all we know, the side affects could be worse this time, I mean, you're going beyond the limits of any human. Using a power that God has granted you himself, me, 9S, and 2B can handle it because we don't have any human limits. But you?"

"It's a risk we have to take. The last time we fought I lost really bad. This time, it'll be for keeps. So I may just have to use the remaining two."

"That's my point. I'll take on Kuro, as soon as I'm done with him, then I'll head over to you as fast as I can."

"Alright, then let's keep going for now." said he reluctantly. Lars and A2 continued to go up the castle. That is, until they got to the eighty-fifth floor, where a large unit of soldiers blocked their way. "Gonna fire the smash cannon, I'll raise the field as fast as I can afterwards," whispered Lars, "Get down." he said to A2. She quickly ducked and Lars fired the cannon in a ring. He was on low power so he wouldn't cut a portion away from the castle itself, but it was enough to kill most of the unit surrounding them. Afterwards, he raised the force-field to shield them from the rubble. He protected both himself and A2 as the remaining soldiers who were attacking were crushed by the rubble and died brutally. 

"Clear." said A2. They kept moving up through the castle, eventually, they were nearly on the eightieth floor. "We're nearing the place where Kuro is."

"Yeah." responded Lars, he cut down a machine in the way and killed another soldier with his arm-blade. As he retracted it, he looked back at A2.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"Just promise me that he won't kill you." said Lars. "We've been through so much together, and I don't want to ever lose you." 

"I won't die, I promise. After all, I managed to beat him once, and I'll just do it again. " she said with a smile. This in turn caused Lars to smile back and nod. They kept moving and made it up floors eighty to eighty-five very quickly.

They stood in front of absolutely gigantic doors that surely led to a room that would house an intense duel. "Kuro's probably in there, ready to go in?" asked Lars. A2 silently nodded and readied her sword-mace. Lars kicked down the doors and charged in with A2, but what they saw shocked them.

*Fade*

Kuro was completely topless and only his top half showed. Half of his face was covered in a monstrous metallic skull, his red eye still glowing. The other eye, still white as bleach, and his arms were fully replaced by a more draconian design. His entire bottom half was now like a scorpion-like monster, it also had another pair of monstrous looking arms, mostly every inch adorned by weaponry or artillery. Some kind of battery was powering the entire thing, Lars could tell by the glow of the machine. It had some kind of tail, absolutely dripping in acid. He began to chuckle as he took sight of them.

"Heheheheheheheheheheh.... Hahahahahahahahahaha! KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!" he laughed. "SO, YOU BOTH ARE HERE!!" screamed Kuro. "I'VE ONCE AGAIN ACHIEVED IT!!! THE POWER THAT I HAD TWO-HUNDRED YEARS AGO!!!! THE POWER OF GOOOOOOD!!! REMEMBER ALL THOSE AUGMENTS I'VE TOLD YOU ABOUT!? I'VE BEEN TO SO MANY UNIVERSES! SO MANY TIMELINES! EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM, DESTROYED! THEY WEREN'T WORTHY OF EXISTING! SO I DESTROYED THEM!" then he stopped and spoke normally again. "But then... a version of myself was strong enough to destroy that power. So I killed him, and took his weapons. I've been using them until now. But now...?" he looked up as he took a deep breath and swung his head back down. "I'M BACK!!!!!!"

"Lars, go. I'll take him down for sure."

"Sure, go," he said normally, "and miss this delicious fact I'm about to give you, about your parents." he said as he chuckled.

"W-what? My parents?" Lars pointed his sword at the now mechanical-abomination, "What about them!" he demanded.

"I'll make it nice and simple. Your mother, back in your world, in that war she fought in." Lars' eyes widened, almost like he knew what Kuro was going to say. "I see it in your eyes... yes, Lars.  _I'm_ the one who killed her. I'm the one who caused your father's heart to break and die, leaving only you. I thought you'd like to know..." he said with a smile. He then looked over at A2, "And you." A2 said nothing, but raised her sword slightly. "Do you remember when you descended into Earth for that mission years ago?" A2 clenched her teeth.

"You were the one who caused everything to fall apart... weren't you?" she asked.

"CORRECT YOU ARE!" shouted Kuro. " _I'M_ THE ONE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATH OF YOUR PRECIOUS FRIENDS! After all, who do you think cut communications to the Bunker? They didn't abandon you, in fact, the original plan was that you would fight alongside new models. But that didn't happen, I wonder why?"

Lars clenched his sword. A tear came down his face, he wanted to kill Kuro where he was right now. The one who killed his parents was right in front of him, the one who wrecked their worlds and caused them all that grief in the past was right there. He took out a Super-nova locket, but then put it away. "Hmm?" 

"A2..." said Lars quietly.

"If you want to stay and fight, I won't stop you..." she responded. A2 now readied her fighting stance. 

"Get some revenge for me..." said Lars. He had swallowed his lust for revenge and decided that going after Sral was the way to end this war as quickly as possible.

"You amuse me, Lars..." chuckled Kuro. "All that tranquil fury and for nothing. Oh well..." Kuro snapped his finger and the door behind him opened up. Lars gave Kuro one last glare before running through the doors that led into the elevator for the next floor. "It's not like he has a chance against Sral anyway. Ready to join your friends?" asked Kuro.

*Sound of the End (Dynamic-Vocals)* 

"You know? I thought I had reached closure when I watched the machine network get destroyed by Adam and Eve. But now, I know that it was only part of it." A2 pointed the sword-mace at the monster she now faced. "You're gonna die. Today, right here, right now!" shouted A2 as she lunged forward. The sword-mace connected to one of Kuro's arm with a loud clang. He swung his other arm and she managed to block it, but it sent her into a wall. He cackled as he swung the tail towards her. A2 managed to evade just in time before the tail impaled her. 

She ran across the walls to try and get to a blind spot, but the machine guns on the scorpion-like body began to open fire. In the barrage were also missiles, A2 either dodged or hit them aside with her blades. Kuro took out his sparrow and also began shooting.  Kuro let out a loud scream and the sound wave knocked A2 right off the wall and sent her to the ground. As she grunted loudly from hitting the floor, Kuro opened up several portals and rained dead bodies into the room. "ARISE!" he screamed. A purple gas came out and spread through the room, but it didn't effect A2. She looked around as the dead bodies re-animated.

The groans of the zombies went throughout the room. Kuro crawled up the walls and began laughing as A2 cut down the walking corpses. She was disabling them, by cutting their limbs or by smashing their heads in. No matter how many she cut down, more just came. "This is endless...!" she cursed. A2 took out the pocket watch and pressed it. As the red energy exploded everywhere, her right eye glowed red and she wiped some blood from her mouth. "The fifth charge..." She moved faster and cleaved the zombies even harder, killing more of them. 

When they were all gone, she ran up the wall to Kuro. This time, the arms on the scorpion-unit grabbed A2 by her arms and dragged her into the wall, and then threw her into the other wall. She got back up and charged again, this time, A2 used her Type-4O blade along with her sword-mace to cut the arms off of the unit. This only enraged Kuro and he screamed as he fired more bullets everywhere, A2 used several bodies as meat-shields to avoid the bullets. A2 jumped into the air and bought her sword down onto Kuro's arm. He grabbed the blade and threw it, she lost her grip and fell to the floor again.

Kuro opened up three portals, all rotating around him. They fired individual beams that almost hit A2. Then he formed some kind of green hexagon and fired it at her. She once again evaded, but it split into several pieces and started flying around, hitting her every time she tried to block. She screamed in pain, it was like the most pain she had ever felt physically. If she were a normal human, she would've been dead now. Just about then, the berserker power ran out, "I... took too much damage?" asked she. "Damn it..." she pressed again, using the sixth charge. As she did, the arms that she cut off were repairing themselves, she tried again to make a run towards him, this time, throwing her lance first. 

The monster hit it aside and fired a lazer beam from his eye across the room. She rolled to evade it and jumped. The tail swung by, and A2 narrowly dodged it, some of the acid hitting chest, melting the chest-plate she had right off, and A2 plunged the sword-mace right through Kuro's body. He moaned and smiled back, A2 quickly pulled her weapon out and jumped off. While she was in the air, she kicked his head hard enough to send the entire unit to the ground. Out of the smoke came another one of those hexagons, as they split up, she lunged towards Kuro and they hit him instead, but no effect.

"Did you honestly think that you could harm me with my own attack?" he cackled, "Nice try..." A2 appeared in front of and sliced off his arm. As the arm fell, about six wires came out and attached themselves to his arm, and the arm was pulled back into the socket and welded in. He screamed and sent more sound waves everywhere, A2 was hit by several of them pushed into a wall, she almost pulled her arms out, but Kuro pinned her to the wall with the two arms in the scorpion-unit. "Y'know, I never knew how cute you were until I got close." he closed in and licked her face, "So how about it? How about we have some fun in another way?" he chuckled.

A2 first spat in his face, "Sorry, I'm saving myself for someone else!" she shouted back, A2 used her legs to kick off the one of the arms and cut off the other one after freeing her arm. As she freed her other arm, Kuro got back in position. He laughed as he fired missiles, A2 but them out of the air and kicked the last one back, it blew up right in Kuro's face, his red eye glowed and fired another laser. A2 didn't react fast enough and was hit by it. It was a concussive blast, but it was enough for the locket to wear off.

*Fade*

A2 fell to her knee once again, using her sword-mace as support so she wouldn't fully fall to the ground. She was panting, and trying to not lose her consciousness. "KAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!" laughed Kuro. "DID YOU REALLY THINK THAT YOU COULD STAND A CHANCE AGAINST ME?"  A2 glared back and only panted, Kuro began laughing again, "You look, how do I describe it? Oh wait, you look a lot like 2B, or, you did. Now look at you, long hair, and you're not even wearing a YoRHa uniform. I remember that day fondly, when I DOOMED you and your friends! It was HILARIOUS! THE FACE YOU MADE WHEN SHE SELF-DESTRUCTED, AND FOR WHAT?" he roared. "And a fun little fact, remember those who stayed behind outside while the rest of you went inside to try and destroy the terminal?"

" _You're_ the one who killed them, aren't you?" asked A2. 

"Bingo..." he chuckled, "S21 was also killed, heh, heh, Anemone was the one who killed her. Because of a virus, that of course,  _I_ made..."

"You wanna know something?" asked A2, she stood up, and stared at Kuro through her hair. "If we had survived that day, we probably would've left YoRHa, thinking they abandoned us. Maybe join the Resistance with new names, or maybe just be on the run. But I bet that things would've still turned out the same way they would be now, meet Lars, get back to YoRHa, meet the ones my body paved a way for, and fight this war against the Jinzo. I know for a fact my friends would've liked him, especially A4, her personality. Lars' hopes, determination, will, and his gentle smile, everyone would adore it, and want to keep it safe."

"But he's not going to be around forever... He's only human after all, and he's too 'good' to take lengths as I did." the beast snickered.

*Dead or Alive (Kamen Rider Faiz)*

"I know. But I want to enjoy it while I can, a monster like you would never understand love or any emotion like that. My friends died because of you, and even if all of us lived, things might not have turned out this way, but I can't change any of that. That's why, I'm going to avenge all of them, by killing you."

"You? Kill me?" he laughed maniacally, "That'll happen when Hell turns cold!"

"Then it freezes today!" shouted A2 back. She used the seventh charge. As the red energy exploded everywhere, Kuro just laughed, laughed, and laughed some more.

"That again? WHAT MAKES YOU THINK IT'LL WORK!?"

A2 didn't answer, she just dematerialized the sword-mace and re-materialized the Type-4O sword. Grasping it both hands, she pulled it behind her, and in the blink of an eye, charged forward. She was immediately behind Kuro, who used his tail to try and stab her, but she jumped up and the tail ended up stabbing the ground. A2 ran up the tail, dodging any bullets coming her way or tanking the hit. She swung her sword down, not into Kuro, but into the unit. "Useless..." spat Kuro quietly. He twisted his torso around and used the split sparrows to try and attack her, she blocked the sickles with her long-sword. Using both swords, she sliced off his four fingers. As the weapons fell, she de-materialized her swords to swap for the sickles.

"I'll be taking these back from you." said she. A2 connected them and scanned them, they quickly became part of her arsenal and she began shooting. The arrows hit and sank into the unit, Kuro looked up and scoffed. A2 charged forward again and dodged the striking tail, A2 materialized the Type-4O blade and with one swing, cleaved the tail's tip right off. She fired the arrows into the stump, severing the circuits. 

"My tail!" screamed Kuro. "You think you're smart? Cutting the circuits so I can't regenerate?! Huh!?" A2 smirked a but before jumping away from those three lazer beams. The machine guns began shooting at her, but they were only potshots, as Kuro jumped in front of A2 himself. Kuro swung the giant arms on the unit, but A2 cut one of them off with one swift stroke. She evaded the attack from the other arm and deflected several bullets. A2 landed, but Kuro continued to fly around, more portals opened up and more dead bodies fell through. Kuro released the gas, and the corpses re-animated. A2 was hit by one in the stomach, but recovered quickly. She jumped into the air and rained arrows down on them with the sparrow. She broke them apart and slashed them all once, and they exploded. "WHAT?!"

"Weapons you only took and used crudely, yet, never learned how to use. And I know how with one scan." responded A2. 

"YOU MAKING FUN OF ME!!?" screamed Kuro. 

A2 saw Kuro using a hexagon and throwing it at her. This time, all of them hit her and she fell to her knees then was hit right into a wall. The charge wore off because of the damage she took. Kuro laughed but A2 quickly used up the eighth charge, leaving her with only four left. Three more lasers came down as she activated it, but A2 managed to evade just in time before they hit her. The smoke cleared and A2 jumped up from it, her sword-mace in one hand and the connected sparrow in the other. With one swing of her sword, she cut off Kuro's left arm and fired one arrow into the stump. A2 dodged a small arrow-like projectile and jumped on the wall to slash one of the legs of the scorpion unit off. The both of them landed, Kuro with a stumble, his rage quite apparent now.

She ran forward and dodged a swing from the giant arm and focused energy to her left arm. She made a perfect circle around where Kuro connected to the scorpion unit, welding him there. A2 re-materialized her sword-mace and blocked bullets that Kuro fired. Every so often, she would deflect a bullet back at the machine gun it was fired from, destroying it. Eventually, Kuro charged forward, A2 used this chance to cut off the other giant arm and fire an arrow into it, essentially cauterizing it. Kuro had now lost his left arm, both giant arms, one leg, and his tail. A2 moved faster than she did before due to her using her normal berserker mode. She did this while using some chips to help her recover, striking in every opening. Finally, it wore off and in the magical battery seemed to be exposed.

"You'll pay for that..." growled Kuro. He charged forward, shooting beams and bullets at A2.

"No, I won't. But you'll pay for what you did to my friends." with one strike, she cut off another leg and shot an arrow, cauterizing it. But before she could hit the battery, she was hit by the tail. She was sent back, and dug her sword into the ground. A2 looked up to Kuro in the air, almost landing on her. She jumped on the wall and lunged back, A2 was at the angle where she could destroy the battery. And that's exactly what she did, she used the sparrow to fire several arrows into the battery and threw the 4O lance in to finish it off. 

Kuro screamed, not in pain, but out of anger. He only began attacking her with his remaining legs and flat tail now. A2 knew that she had just destroyed his capabilities to use magic. She took this opportunity to move forward again, Kuro was now attacking wildly, screaming about how inferior she was compared to him. A2 dodged most of the attacks if she didn't block them. His attacks were fast and strong, but sloppy. A2 was strong enough to hold them, and fast enough to cut yet another one of his legs off and fired one arrow into the stump. He screamed even louder out of rage and swung his tail down on where she stood.

A2 armed herself with a combat brace and upper-cutted the tail away. Then, used the Type-4O blade to just cleave the rest of the tail off, she used the arrows to finish the tail off. Now it was time to finish this, A2 threw the Type-4O blade as hard as she could through the scorpion unit and into the ground, pinning Kuro in one place. A2 jumped all the way back and focused all the energy into her right leg this time, she ran forward at full speed and jumped high in the air. She performed an aerial front flip before kicking Kuro square in the chest with all the power she had. 

A2 jumped off Kuro's chest and landed on her fist and knee. As she stood back up, he began to explode. "That was for everyone you hurt. My friends, Lars' parents, Lars himself, and me..." she panted. It started with small explosions, and they were happening in every inch of his body.

"NO! NO! NO!" he screamed as he thrashed around wildly.

*Fade*

"It's over. You've lost..." said A2.

"THIS SHOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE! IT CAN'T BE POSSIBLE! HOW COULD I...? HOW COULD I LOSE????!!!!!" he screamed, suddenly he slumped his head down as the explosions started getting bigger and bigger. "I am the God of everything... and I... WILL LIVE ON... FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" the final explosion was enormous, but the charge energy protected A2 from annihilation. Mostly nothing was left of Kuro, only pieces from the scorpion unit flew around. The orb of dark purple light that was Kuro's soul floated through the ceiling to go to Lars.

"I did it, everyone." said A2 to the ceiling. She didn't have time to dwell on that thought, as a huge explosion from above shook the entire castle. "Lars..." she said quietly, but in a concerned voice. "I'm coming..." she quickly ran to the elevator and went up.

*Transition*

9S was fighting the Queen of Hearts and Jack of Hearts with Mikhail and Kantress. "C'mon!" he shouted. Kantress and Mikhail both charge forward and began fighting. The Jack fired an explosion at the ground on which 9S stood on. He was sent flying through a wall. 

"9S!" shouted Mikhail, Kantress tackled him from the Queen's attacks.

"He'll be fine." she said, she shot an arrow at the Queen then blocked her axe with her bow. 

"Damn traitor!" the Queen shouted. But an explosion knocked the both of them back. Adam, Eve, Devola, and Popola came down to help.

"Let's take them down." said Adam.

"Yeah!" added Eve. 

A large squadron of Jinzo soldiers came to aid the last members of the Jinzo royals. "Attack!" shouted the Queen. The Allied soldiers ran forward to meet the Jinzo soldiers head on. This all happened while 9S got back up and shook his head. He saw that the book that Dan had given him had fallen out of his bag, and was opened to a page. What he saw shocked him.

In the final fight between Lars and Sral, Lars was destined to die.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A2 still basically wearing her D.L.C outfit.


	45. Finale Pt. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The duel between Lars and Sral has begun, will Lars be able to change his fate? Or will he fall victim to what destiny has in store for him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The entire chapter does indeed take place in the time the battle between A2 and Kuro was happening.

The doors closed right behind him. He hoped that she could take Kuro down herself, even after what they had just saw what he became. His fist still clenched, but he knew that now, he only had one objective. To kill Sral. "There he is!" shouted a few voices. 

He looked up and saw about six Jinzo soldiers, accompanied by ten more machines. He drew the sword that he received from the older version of himself. "Come at me..." he said back to the enemies. They all ran forward, and so did he. With the first swing of his blade, three of the enemies were already dead, two machines and one Jinzo. The rest of them charged forward after staring at the bodies for a few seconds. He drew a second sword, the one that a close friend gave to him and swung it down onto a machine, crushing it. "Four down, twelve more." said he.

*Nier Shadowlord (Extended)*

A soldier with an axe hit the secondary sword out of his hand, but in return, he grabbed his head and dragged it across the floor and threw him into the other soldiers. With seven flames, he destroyed them, leaving nothing left. "Clear." he said to himself. After sheathing both blades he ran to the elevator and went up, he continued to kill any enemies that got in his way, or just ran past them, but he killed more. This continued until he finally reached the ninetieth floor, the place where is greatest enemy was. But it was completely dark, out of the shadow came an old man wearing a lab coat. 

The elder was armed with a dagger, and he plunged it down into his left arm. After a small struggle, he threw the old man away and extended the blade in his left arm and easily killed the man. Then, the ceiling opened up, everything that was happening outside was shown, and the sun was past the middle of the sky. Out of the ground came the one he was looking for.

"Lars..." he growled.

"Didn't think you would try and let someone else kill me, Sral." responded Lars as he took the dagger out of his arm. 

"Shut it!" he shouted back, "Now that I have the power to kill you, I won't need you to talk anymore." indeed, he even looked a bit different. His white long-coat was now replaced by a black one, with gold accents.

"Sral, give it up. Look around, the allied forces are literally destroying Avalon, just give your life up and you have my word that I'll tell them to pull out."

"No..." he drew his sword and pointed it at Lars. "After I kill you, I'll just kill all of them and save my people."

"Are you serious?! What happens if you do kill me, but it's too late? You won't have anymore people to protect, and you'll have lost everything."

"But that won't happen now will it?" he asked, "I am the hero to my people, and the hero always takes down the villain and saves those dear to himself."

"Is that what you really think?"

"Of course it is, you could never be a hero. Did you really think that you could be one? After you poisoned the minds of my friends, and killed so many of my people!?"

"Not my point." said Lars as he put his mask on, all tendrils connecting to his neck at once. Then, he drew the sword that Caim gave him, "I don't ever remember calling myself a hero. If wanting to go home so bad makes me the villain of this story, then so be it. You ever heard of ends justifying the means?" Sral was about to answer, but Lars cut him off, "That's the thing I always believed in, never had a good conscious to hold me back from doing what I thought was necessary, Hell, I even enjoyed killing at some point, didn't like it, and went to the point where I got Adam to erase my memory." Lars had remembered everything from that day on the Galapagos, and the next day, there was no erasing that. "To sum it all up, I don't care if I'm the villain. 'Cause if that's the case, I'll be the villain who kills the hero and achieves his goal." he pointed the sword at Sral.

"If history ever showed ONE thing! It's that even no matter how much a person who stands against someone evil, they always win..." he growled. 

"You're really black and white aren't you?" asked Lars, "You can call yourself a hero all you want, but it won't change anything. It's clear to me you don't care about your people that much anymore, you've just been obsessed with killing me now. It's a bit sad, who you once where, but that's what happens to people with those ideals. They get trampled on more and more, until they're just a shadow of who they once were."

"How dare you! I  _do_ care about my people, I just need to take you down so they can be safe. If I give up my life, you'll just kill them without me in the way."

"And waste time I could spend getting home? No thanks. Anyway, enough talk, let's finish this!"

"You won't win!" screamed Sral. He charged forward to slash Lars, but his sword was blocked. But the force of the swing made Lars' feet actually sink into the ground. Even with Lars' reflexes, power, and speed fully enhanced, Sral was incredibly fast and strong. Lars hit him back and conjured dark-lances to shoot, as he did, Sral conjured swords made of light. They both shot them at each other, many of the lances and the swords smashed against each other an dissapeared. For those that made it through, Sral hit the lances aside while Lars raised his force-field to block them. As Sral was in the air, Lars took his opportunity to raise spears made of darkness from the ground. Sral, instead of getting impaled landed on the spear on his foot. 

"What?" Sral lunged forward, ready to stab the "villain" in front of him. But Lars drew another sword, the one that YoRHa gave him and blocked the blade. Lars sheathed Caim's sword and drew Emil's. Since he did that, Sral materialized a shield, it once belonged to Dan. "Grave-robbing now are we?" 

Sral said nothing but screamed loudly and charged forward. Emil's sword met with Dan's shield and Lars' sword met with Sral's. With the shield, Sral threw Emil's sword off and smacked Lars with it. As he recovered from the blow, Lars sent a shadow copy of himself to strike Sral. Naturally, Sral blocked it, but saw Lars come right after the copy and slashed him across the right shoulder. Lars bought the other blade down in attempt to kill Sral, but he was kicked away before that could happen. Sral charged forward, this time, with the shield in front, only for him to shoot out the tendrils. Lars pulled the trigger on his sword and cut the tendrils right off, then he pulled it a few more times and cut the shield right in half. 

This only enraged Sral swung his blade hard enough to break the blade of Lars' modded 4O sword right off the hilt. Sral swung his sword down, but Lars evaded. He activated his lightning and ran forward to slam his palm right into Sral's chest, sending him flying towards the ceiling. Lars fired the smash-cannon, but Sral opened up a black hole and absorbed the entire beam. Lars began to get sucked in, first he stabbed his sword into the ground, but then he had an idea. He pulled his sword out and opened a portal right in front of him and went right in. The portal led to the back of Sral and he slashed down, it cut Sral right across the back. But Sral turned around and grabbed Lars by the neck like he had taken no damage at all. Sral threw Lars across the room with all his strength. Lars slammed into the wall and Sral used an arm made of light to hit him deeper into wall.

He made three more arms and they all spiraled together to make one gigantic pair of arms. But Lars was already charging something of his own, the moment Sral swung the arms down, Lars fired a ball made of darkness that swallowed the hands of the arms, rendering them useless. Lars pulled himself out of the wall and threw a dark-lance followed by swinging a dark arm on him. Sral managed to hold it, but was struggling, "It's high time you felt some pain..." said he, "Deactivate, code Omega." said Sral. But nothing happened, all Lars did was throw another hook with another dark-arm, sending Sral into a wall, and then to the ground. 

"That won't work again. I've changed the code, good luck finding it while we're fighting." said Lars.

"Fine, I'll just kill you even with your mask on, then..." responded Sral as he picked himself up. He rushed forward, materializing another shield and crashed fight into Lars. The plan was to get Lars off his feet, but he was resisting. Sral brought up his sword to try and decapitate Lars, but he drew Emil's sword and cut Sral's arm clean off, along with his sword. Sral smacked Lars with the shield and threw him away with an arm made of light. Then, energy came out of his stump and helped re-attach his arm. Lars grew his wings made of darkness, Sral grew what seemed like angel-wings made of light. They both flew around, their blades clashing against each other every once in a while. Otherwise, they shot and threw projectiles at each other.

Eventually, Sral hit Lars with a projectile that paralyzed him momentarily. Lars fell to the ground and was getting back up when he saw Sral coming down. Sral swung down his blade at full force, Lars narrowly evaded. Sral's blade hit the floor the top-left part of Lars' mask was gone, a small cut going down his left brow, and his left eye exposed. The right eye of the mask flickered and the systems were failing, as a large chunk of the mask was gone. "Alert: Severe damage to this unit. Status: Irreparable."

"Damn, can you pull through?" asked Lars as he dodged an attack.

"Negative. However, I have an idea."

"Shoot."

"Commander 0C can throw this unit and Sral. The following explosion has a eighty-three percent chance of significantly weakening Sral. Final proposal: This unit will commence the self-destruct sequence. 0C will then stand a better chance against Sral."

"What? Gotta admit, that's a pretty decent plan..." said Lars he blocked Sral's sword. "But what about you? I need you for this fight, using a Super-nova locket is too risky."

"This unit would like 0C to allow the proposal to happen. Otherwise, 0C has a thirty percent chance of winning."

"God damn it," sighed Lars "We've been through so much together, I'm really gonna miss you." 

"Query: Has 0C grown attached to this unit?"

"You can say that, Lawsh gave you to me. Now it's time to say goodbye."

"Understood. One more message." Lars felt a vibration in his nape and saw a bunch of binary code. "Please deliver this to the other pods." Lars nodded. "Very well, then this is it. Disconnecting wires and beginning self-destruction countdown." The wires detached and the countdown began. Lars waited for the five-second mark, and when it reached that mark, he chucked the mask with all his strength. Sral saw the mask a bit too late, he shielded his face, and a flash of light filled the room before an explosion with incredible force. It was enough to send Lars flying.

*Fade*

When the smoke cleared, Sral was clearly affected by it. "Damn you..." he growled. He currently needed his sword to help him walk. The left half of his body was charred, and his hair on the left side burned off.

"Damn me? Damn you!" shouted Lars back, "Thanks to you, my mask is dead."

"That's assuming it was alive in the first place..." said Sral, "I knew you prized automatons over real life..."

"Believe what you want, but look around, you're finished."

"What're you-" Sral was cut off from a call from the officers. 

"My liege, we've been pushed back from the third defense line! We're retreating final line of defense and regrouping-!" she was suddenly cut off, and there was a large explosion outside. Undoubtedly, from an orbital strike. 

*Transition*

*Gundam Unicorn OST MOBILE ARMOR, (Skip to 4:25)*

A team of Jinzo rifle-men tried to maintain fire lines, but were easily wiped out by a missile barrage. Lancer after Lancer and Dragon after Dragon were shot right out of the sky by flight units or anti-air fire. The Zero landed to help the others fight royals. A Jinzo heavy armed with a lance was holding his own against a scanner, but was then stabbed simultaneously by several YoRHa battlers. A Jinzo sniper had her position found out and was gunned down by Resistance assault-vehicles. Anemone lead a charge through a small enemy fortress. Every single Jinzo soldier in sight was being wiped out. The Queen and the Jack battled hard, several of the soldiers they had with them were already killed. 2B dodged a blade and slashed the man to kill him easily. 2B, 9S, Devola and Popola finished off the rest of the soldiers leaving only the royals left. Adam sent back the bullets fired by the jack, who dodged the reflected attack. Eve jumped out of some rubble he was hiding in and slugged the jack, sending him flying through a wall. 

9S, along with Kantress and Mikhail took the queen on. She kept up at first, but eventually Kantress shot her legs and arms, Mikhail and 9S both stabbed her through the chest and abdomen, putting an end to her life. The Jack got back up so see his mother slain, "MOTHER!" he screamed. 9S, Mikhail, and Kantress were joined by the others.

"Give it up!" shouted 9S. 

"Never!" said the Jack. 

He fired a few more shots, which were absorbed and sent right back by Eve. The gun was shot out of his hand by one of his own bullets. He went into a fit of rage and began glowing in a crimson light. "He's gonna self-destruct!" shouted Kantress. 

"Alert: The following detonation can wipe out the entire city." said Pod-153.

"No it won't." responded Adam. He threw the Jack into the air as hard as he could. 

"Pod!" shouted 2B.

Pod-042 was still in the Zero, "Understood." he said back. The Zero assumed it's fighter mode and detached the gun-barrels. They split off into different directions and simultaneously fired at the Jack. Finally, he was hit by one of the gun barrels and exploded in a spectacular fashion, signaling the Jinzo's last attempt to take down the enemy had failed.

"We have taken the city. Every Jinzo in the city is confirmed dead. We have won, the war is finally over." said Orga has he pulled up. Around the city, the soldiers rejoiced and cheered, for they had won. Jinzo defectors looked kind of sad, but they were all happy at the same time.

"We won..." said Mikhail. he received a kiss on the cheek from Kantress and looked at her,

"We sure did." said she.

"Now it's all up to you two, A2, Lars." said Adam, as they all looked up to the castle.

*Transition*

"Look Sral, you've lost. You don't have anything anymore. So give up!" shouted Lars.

"No... I do have something..." said Sral, he looked back up with eyes full of hatred. "I don't CARE about them anymore!!! I just have to kill you now!"

"What will killing me do? Bring your people back? Is that what you believe?"

"No... It'll make me feel better. All the minds you've poisoned, every bit of my soul that you RIPPED from me... I'll take it all BACK!!!"

He was gonna charge forward, but a purple orb came through the ground, and entered Lars. It was Kuro's soul and that only meant one thing, that A2 had won against Kuro. "Looks like he's dead." said Lars with a smirk.

"H-how?" asked Sral, "It doesn't matter, I'm going to pull out your-" A2 then burst right through the doors and joined Lars. 

*Fade*

"You're not going to do anything, but die." she said, "I'll be fine, you ready to finish this guy off?" she asked Lars.

"More than ready, and one last thing..."

A2 looked at Lars, her face asking the question of "what is it"?

"Thanks... for getting revenge for the both of us..." Lars let out a small smile, which in turn caused A2 to smile back.

"It was nothing... Now let's finish him..."

A2 and Lars got into their fighting stances. "What're you smiling about?!" screamed Sral as he lunged forward. The other two did the same, propel themselves forward to finally finish the fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah this one definitely took me a while, I hope you look forward to the final chapter! See you there! (At least when it comes out.)


End file.
